FOXBORO, Mass. -- It's become something of an annual tradition at Patriots training camp.
You watch Josh Uche make an impressive play in practice, then another, then another, and you ask yourself, "Is this the year this guy finally becomes a real asset for New England's defense?"
For the first 2 1/2 years of Uche's NFL career, that hype never translated to more than fleeting regular-season production. But that might finally be changing.
After managing just five sacks over the first 26 games of his injury-riddled Patriots tenure, the 24-year-old linebacker equaled that total over the last two weeks, including a three-sack hat trick in Sunday's defensively dominant 26-3 win over the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium. He also registered four-plus quarterback pressures in each of his last three games after hitting that number just twice previously, per Pro Football Focus.
This pass-rush eruption followed a drought in which Uche, a staple in New England's third-down package, recorded zero sacks, zero tackle for loss and just one QB hit between Week 3 of last season and Week 7 of this season.
"I'm just being me," Uche said after Sunday's game. "I've always had faith in myself from the beginning. Even when nobody else believes in you, I kind of always knew what I was capable of. My dad's been a big help to me, as well, just keeping that confidence in me, so it's been great."
Head coach Bill Belichick always has recognized Uche's talent, too, ever since the Patriots traded up to select him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In his eyes, the Michigan product's recent success is the result of improved fundamentals and accumulated experience.
"I think Josh has been pretty consistent here for a while," Belichick said in his Monday morning video conference. "Sometimes those numbers come in bunches, or not -- they could come in droughts, too. But his overall pass-rush skill is good. He's got speed, he's athletic and he's developing more power and timing and execution on pass-rush games.
"He's doing a lot of things well, doing some things better and there's always room to improve. And it changes a little bit each week based on who's blocking you and who the quarterback is and how you have to rush that quarterback or the protection scheme that particular team uses. But he's done a good job of recognizing those things, and of course he's seen more and more here over the last three years. Some of the things that maybe caught him a little bit by surprise or he wasn't quite ready for in the past are more familiar to him now, and it's just better decisions, better awareness, better execution."
The Patriots also have given Uche additional responsibilities in his third pro season. After losing veteran 'backers Dont'a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins this offseason, Belichick tasked Uche with being the on-field signal-caller for New England's pass-rush subpackage.
"He's worked hard on that," Belichick said. "It started in the offseason, going all the way back to after last season and into the early parts of the spring there with the offseason program. He's been doing that for quite a while ... and he's really embraced it and worked at it to the point where I think everybody has a lot of confidence in him doing that."
Among those with confidence in Uche: superstar edge rusher Matthew Judon, who's on pace to break Andre Tippett's single-season franchise record of 18 1/2 sacks and threaten Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt's NFL record of 22 1/2. Judon also sacked Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger three times Sunday to up his league-leading season total to 11 1/2.
The Patriots' pass rush was overly reliant on Judon last season, to the point that his home-stretch swoon derailed their entire defense. This season, they've been a bit deeper in that area, with defensive end Deatrich Wise enjoying a rare Year 6 breakout and Uche coming on strong of late. Six different defenders recorded at least half a sack on Ehlinger, with New England racking up nine sacks total.
Uche maintaining his recent level of play -- and staying healthy, as he's already missed two games this season -- would raise the Patriots' defensive ceiling considerably.
"I don't know if y'all know, but Josh actually calls the plays out there when we're on third down. So our execution is from him," Judon said. "That's hard for somebody that's in Year 3 and hasn't had that much success in the NFL, and it's third and long and he has to make the right call, right? So for him to come out there and have a game like he had and play lights out like that, that just allows him to see what he can do in this league."
What can Uche do?
"He can be a premier pass rusher," Judon continued. "I always tell him, he’s probably the best pass rusher we've got. I'm very happy for him. That's my brother. I'm going to continue to speak him up and boast him, but that's all him. He works his butt off just to get out on the field. When he's out there and he has success like that, I'm just happy for him."
