The Patriots Reportedly Aren't Having Contract Talks With Josh Uche, Making it Worth Asking if a Fire Sale is About to Begin

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Yesterday I mentioned Bill Belichick making the worst personnel decision of his incomparable career when he drafted N'Keal Harry with the 32nd pick in 2019. What I didn't get into was the rest of that draft. Because at some point it just becomes self harm and I've suffered enough. Suffice to say that as of the end of last season, the only one of the 10 players selected were still on the roster, and that was punter Jake Bailey. So it was arguably the worst draft of the Belichick Epoch.

I mention this because he had a nice bounce back with the 2020 class. Sure he stepped on a few rakes. A kicker who never made it out of preseason, partly due to some questionable decisions in a tattoo parlor, most mostly an inability to kick. Two tight ends who combined didn't produce as much in their careers as Gronk did in a typical half. But more to the point, three major contributors on defense to this day: Kyle Dugger, Josh Uche, and Anfernee Jennings. And probably their best offensive lineman when he's healthy, Michael Onwenu. That's a fine haul in any draft. Especially one where your first pick is Round 2. 

But this is 2023. Meaning that without a 1st round pick in that one, all these guys are potentially heading into free agency at the end of the year. And if we're looking for an indication as to where the organization's collective head is at with regard to the future - and we are - this might be it:

With one disclaimer added for fairness and accuracy:

I don't need to paint a picture of the crisis this franchise is in right now. The Pats are currently holding their ground at No. 29 on NFL.com's power rankings, and it's easier to imagine them moving down than up in the weeks to come. I just think it's curious that they haven't been discussing an extension with one of the most valuable young commodities on their roster. 

It could mean a lot of things, and none of them are particularly good. The talks weren't productive and wasting everyone's time. Or the Patriots are going with their default setting that pass rushers tend to get overpaid and they're prepared to lose Uche, save money, and just take the compensatory picks. Or worse, they're looking at a lost season and prepared to start trading guys like Uche while they have value to contending teams. Or worse still - but our inescapable reality as we're 1-5 heading into games against Buffalo and Miami - that there's no telling right now who'll be running this team once this season is over, so no one is getting an extension.

To be fair, Uche is hurt at the moment and wasn't spotted at practice today. But nevertheless, he'd bring some return at the trading deadline. Last season, in addition to those 11.5 sacks, he was 20th among all edge rushers with 56 total pressures and had the highest pressure rate at 12.8%. And for you analytics fans, he had the 8th highest Pro Football Focus pass rush grade at his position. And this year, despite playing through injuries, he's got the 7th highest at 11.2%. 

All of which makes Uche a pretty fair test subject as the deadline approaches. A canary in the coalmine that will be the first indication of where the Pats organization is headed. Whether they're trying to fix up the place with a few DIY projects, or call in the excavator and make it a tear down. If they hang onto Uche, it means they're still serious about trying to get the likes of Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa off the field on 3rd down. If they flip him for draft picks, it's as good an indication as any that the reset button has been hammered. 

I mean, they've moved guys before at the deadline because they believed they couldn't afford to keep them. Certainly Jimmy Garappolo is the prime example. If you can remember the last time the Patriots were even considering being big sellers at this time of the year, congratulations on turning 30. But such are the times we find ourselves in. I don't know how fans of other teams live like this.