6 Patriots Most to Blame for Disastrous 2023-24 Season

3. Josh Uche, EDGE

To be fair, Matt Judon was supposed to be the primary pass rusher in 2023 but he was lost early in the season. Judon, who had 12.5 sacks in 2021 and 15.5 in 2022 was off to another hot start this year. He had 13 tackles and four sacks in the first four games but then suffered a torn bicep in their 38-3 loss to Dallas. With him out, that meant Josh Uche would be leaned on for generating a pass rush off the edge.

A former second-round pick from Michigan, Uche was coming off a breakout campaign. He had 11.5 sacks in a rotational role for the Pats and was expected to build upon that. Instead, he went in the opposite direction.

Not only did he have just three sacks but he saw his tackles drop as well — from 27 to just 15. He was credited with 15 pressures as well, which was well under the 25 he had in 2022.

On the year, New England had just 36 sacks with Christian Barmore leading the way with 8.5 from his defensive tackle position. Ja'Whaun Bentley and Deatrich Wise each had 4.5 to tie for second while Uche finished sixth on the team behind Judon (who played in four games) and Mack Wilson who isn't a pass-rushing linebacker. That was far from the impact they expected from Uche.