How Bill Belichick has helped an Eagles newcomer shine as he attempts to revitalize his NFL career

PHILADELPHIA — Josh Uche remembers all the details when he faced Eagles All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson for the first time.

Coming off an 11.5-sack season in 2022, Uche was one of the rising pass rushers in the game. The Patriots were facing the Eagles to open the 2023 season, in a nationally televised game against the defending NFC champions.

Uche’s challenge that day? Johnson, who was coming off a first-team All-Pro season and already one of the elite tackles in the game. This was Uche’s chance to prove he was one of the league’s best pass rushers, displaying a move that would even confuse a future Hall of Famer. 

“I remember just preparing obsessively for that game,” Uche said. “Just trying to put my best foot forward. It was a battle the whole game. A lot of preparation went into that one rep.”

That rep Johnson remembers vividly. It was a move only Uche could beat him with.

Uche lined up outside of the C-gap and speed-rushed Johnson, using his quick twitch to beat the All-Pro inside and hit Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. It was a move Johnson never saw coming.

“He made a good inside move that beat (me), the ball was gone, but he was just really quick,” Johnson said. “For taller guys, he can get under you if you let him.” 

Uche showed the NFL how dangerous of a pass rusher he can be, recording a sack and four pressures in 22 pass-rushing snaps in that game for a pressure rate of 23.5%. But that Week 1 win against Johnson was the last time Uche was in the conversation as one of the game’s sack masters. 

He has four sacks in 27 games since. 

“That year where I had 12 sacks, everyone was healthy,” Uche said. “Playing under Coach Belichick had a huge role in it, to be honest. That was part of it. My first year that was hampered by injuries, second year three sacks (in) first two games then ankle sprain or whatever, then my third year happened, and after that we were hampered by…

“I can make all the excuses in the world. At the end of the day, you gotta play the cards you’re dealt. That year, the stars aligned, and after that life happens.”

A fit for Bill Belichick 

Uche easily had his best year when Belichick was his head coach. He admitted injuries impreded his progress, but he didn’t use that as an excuse. The mental capacity of Uche is what makes the edge rusher so enticing, even if the production hasn’t been there to back it up.

“I try to take mental snapshots, and if it works my brain will just try to lock it in and I build off of that,” Uche said. “Even the things that don’t go right, either, you kinda obsess over why didn’t that work or why couldn’t I be better on that.”

Uche remembers the concept of how he beat Johnson, the tools he got out of the toolbox to stymie him. 

“Coach Belichick had a third-down package where I would kind of see … we had some games going on,” Uche said. “So on the right side, (Matthew) Judon, I told him to do his thing and he had a free rush. On my side, I had a coordinated rush with Deatrich Wise Jr. and Ja’Whaun Bentley. I put Bentley over the center as the wrapper. and that kinda made me take the inside move and I took a two-way go. Ja’Whaun took outside, but I tried to make everything look the same almost.”

Impressive memory for a play that happened nearly two years ago. Uche is the type of player who suited Belichick well, using his unique skill set as an advantage and his memory to replicate moves that worked. He was an asset to Belichick’s system, showing how productive he was when fully healthy. 

He was a typical Belichick type of player, one that thrived in his system as he continued to grow.

“The demand that he wanted out of his players. The relationship I had with him, talking to him about things. The way he coached me, I feel like I responded well to it,” Uche said. “Just the system, too, the way he ran things, I felt like I was receptive to.”

Life after Belichick

The Patriots fired Belichick in 2024 and hired one of his former players in Jerod Mayo, who was the linebackers coach every year Uche was in New England. The fit seemed natural, but Uche had 13 pressures and two sacks in limited action. He was dealt to the Chiefs at the trade deadline last season, and had a disappointing one pressure with zero sacks the rest of the season.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid admitted Uche wasn’t a fit, but Uche wanted to win a Super Bowl. The playing time was secondary.

“I wanted to do the best I could to help the team win,” Uche said. “A great organization like that with a Hall of Famer in Andy Reid and Coach Spags [Steve Spagnuolo]. It was great. Going from the worst team in the league to the best team was like an eye-opening experience. 

“I soaked it all up and did whatever I could to help the team win.” 

The fit in Philadelphia

Uche signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in March, one of many the front office orchestrated in an effort to save cash. The Eagles took a flyer on a healthy Uche to help out pass rushers Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt while also signing Azeez Ojulari for depth.

Through 10 practices, Uche has had a good training camp. He’s consistently finding ways to get to the quarterback and thriving as a second-team edge rusher in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme. Uche is the frontrunner to be the No. 3 pass rusher, and he believes Fangio will effectively utilize his biggest strengths.

“They’re both Hall of Famers in their own respective right. Defensive geniuses,” Uche said. “I wouldn’t be doing anyone any justice comparing them — they’re both legends. 

“But Vic, the wrinkles he has in his defense is beautiful and Coach Belichick had his own wrinkles that were beautiful as well. … Each artist has their own unique style.”

This isn’t Uche’s last chance to prove himself in the NFL, but an opportunity to take what he learned from Belichick and apply it within Fangio’s scheme. The intelligence Uche possesses from play to play is making him a playmaker again. 

He can thank Belichick for his early success in Philadelphia.