Joshua Ikechukwu Uche (, ) (born September 18, 1998) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

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for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

and was selected by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

in the second round of the

2020 NFL draft The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

Early life

Uche was born in 1998, the son of

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

n immigrants, and grew up in

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, Florida. He attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami.

College career

Uche attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

on a football scholarship. As a freshman in 2016, Uche tore his meniscus, caught a "bad virus" and appeared in only four games. As a sophomore in 2017, he sustained a stress fracture and saw limited action in 10 games. After the 2017 season, Uche was frustrated with his lack of playing time. He recalled: "I just felt like I was useless at the time. It was just frustrating to me because I wanted to be out there with my teammates, helping, contributing and doing something to just help the team win. When I wouldn't be able to do that, I just questioned if this was the right fit for me." Uche met with defensive coordinator Don Brown to express his frustration and ask for more playing time in 2018. Brown replied: "Well go earn it, how about that? How about go earn it?" As a junior in 2018, Uche appeared in 12 games at linebacker. He had eight tackles for loss and led the team with seven sacks. In November 2018, the ''Detroit Free Press'' described him as "the most surprising player on the nation's top-ranked defense." Michigan head coach

Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh ( ; born December 23, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach at ...

described Uche as "highly determined and motivated. He's a really special player as well." At the end of the 2018 season, he received honorable mention from both the coaches and media on the

2018 All-Big Ten Conference football team The 2018 All-Big Ten Conference football team consists of American football players chosen as All-Big Ten Conference players for the 2018 Big Ten Conference football season. The conference recognizes two official All-Big Ten selectors: (1) the B ...

. During the 2019 season, Uche recorded a career-high 34 tackles, including 23 solo stops. His 11.5 tackles for loss were second-most on the team, while his 8.5 sacks led the team. Uche's 8.5 sacks was tied for 14th most in a single season in Michigan program history. Following the season, Uche was named to the 2019 All-Big Ten defensive second-team by the coaches. It was announced that Uche would forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the

. His final amateur game was the

2020 Senior Bowl The 2020 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game played on January 25, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. CST, at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game featured prospects for the 2020 draft of the professional National Fo ...

Professional career

New England Patriots

Uche was selected with the 60th pick in the

by the

. Uche was the second (of three) Michigan linebackers the Patriots drafted in consecutive years, following

Chase Winovich Chase Camden Winovich () (born April 19, 1995) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines. He was a tw ...

and preceding

Cameron McGrone Cameron McGrone (born June 22, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, and was drafted by the New England Pat ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on September 26, 2020, with a foot injury. He was activated on October 31. In Week 10 against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

on ''Sunday Night Football'', Uche recorded his first career sack on

Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American professional football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, winning the Heisman T ...

during the 23–17 win. On December 31, 2020, Uche was placed on injured reserve. Uche entered the 2021 season as a rotational outside linebacker and pass rusher for the Patriots. He was placed on injured reserve on November 17, 2021. He was activated on December 25. Uche had a breakout year in 2022. Starting off slow, Uche got his first sack of the season in Week 8, then followed it up with a three-sack performance against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

in Week 9. In Week 14, had five tackles, three sacks, and three tackles for loss in a 27–13 win over the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the season second on the team with 11.5 sacks, along with 27 tackles and two forced fumbles through 15 games. On March 13, 2024, Uche re-signed with the Patriots.

Kansas City Chiefs

On October 28, 2024, Uche was traded to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

for a

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sixth-round pick.

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 13, 2025, Uche signed a one-year contract with the

References

External links

Michigan Wolverines bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Uche, Josh 1998 births Living people American football linebackers Michigan Wolverines football players Christopher Columbus High School (Miami-Dade County, Florida) alumni Players of American football from Miami American players of American football of Nigerian descent New England Patriots players Kansas City Chiefs players Philadelphia Eagles players