5 Patriots Leaving New England in the New Year

4. Josh Uche, LB

Few Patriots had as high expectations on their shoulders as Josh Uche ahead of the 2023 season. The 25-year-old linebacker was coming off an impressive breakout performance that saw him finish second on the team with 11.5 sacks despite going all 15 games without a start. 

While some players build off such performances, that hasn't been the case for Uche. The former Michigan Wolverine regressed quite a bit this year, registering only 11 tackles with 3.0 sacks through 13 games (2 starts) ahead of Week 17. His 35% defensive snap share is down from last year (37%) and he's also Pro Football Focus' No. 83-ranked edge rusher out of 114 graded players. 

Uche is only 25 years old and could improve, in theory, but chances are that last season's showing was more of an anomaly than the rule. He's also slated to become a free agent and could test the open market if he wants to be an NFL starter after yielding just three starts over the last four seasons. 

At the end of the day, it just doesn't look like the Patriots are a good fit for Uche.