Chiefs bolster pass rush, trade for Patriots' Joshua Uche

The Kansas City Chiefs acquired pass rusher  Joshua Uche in a trade with the New England Patriots on Monday.

The Patriots received a 2026 sixth-round pick in the trade, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

The Chiefs placed tight end Jody Fortson (knee) on injured reserve in a corresponding move.

Uche was a healthy scratch for the Patriots' 25-22 victory over the New York Jets amid trade interest for the fifth-year outside linebacker.

Uche, 26, has two sacks in six games this season and 20.5 sacks in his career.

Uche re-signed with the Patriots as a free agent before the season on a one-year, $3 million contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

It's the second impact trade made by the Chiefs (7-0), who acquired wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in a deal with the Tennessee Titans last week.

On Sunday, the Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 27-20, and they had five sacks from five different players.

Uche joins a strong defense that is ranked second in the NFL. 

"That will be a nice addition too, going forward," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday.

The Chiefs currently have George Karlaftis, Mike Danna and Felix Anudike-Uzomah as their main defensive ends. They are also expecting Charles Omenihu back later in the regular season. He tore his ACL in last year's AFC championship Game.

The Patriots selected Uche in the second round of the 2020 draft out of the University of Michigan.

ESPN's Adam Teicher and Mike Reiss contributed to this report.