Any time a massive trade gets pulled off, somebody on the team who acquired a player ends up getting the short end of the stick. That appears to be the case for Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Josh Uche.
The Eagles made a trade with the Miami Dolphins to acquire edge rusher Jaelan Phillips. Miami received one of the Eagles' 2026 third-round picks and agreed to pay a majority of Phillips' 2025 contract.
This is a seismic trade that will have a significant impact on the Birds as they enter the second half of the season. Now that Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio got the guy he wanted all along, he is faced with a bigger problem.
What will the Eagles do about Uche and his playing time?
Uche has gotten off to a decent start to his first year with the Eagles despite only having one sack on the season. Philly has gotten a lot of good pass-rushing out of Uche, who also has 20 pressures and 18 hurries on the season. To add to that, Pro Football Focus has him graded as the 13th highest edge rusher out of 12,0 with 84.
The problem is that the Eagles signed Brandon Graham two weeks ago after he ended his short retirement, and Philly is close to getting Nolan Smith back from the IR. Additionally, the Eagles aim to develop Jalyx Hunt as the next great edge rusher on the team and will likely receive more opportunities.
Uche is facing a situation where he is about to lose snaps to Phillips, who is likely to start, and Hunt is the other candidate. Graham will get at least 15-20 snaps a game, which might end up being the same number of snaps Uche gets.
Once Smith returns to the lineup, it will likely result in Smith and Phillips being the starters, leaving Hunt, Graham, and Uche with fewer snaps to share. Patrick Johnson also can't be forgotten, but he might end up either being strictly on special teams or could be back on the practice squad.
Read more: NFL reporter's update proves Eagles fleeced Dolphins on Jaelan Phillips trade
For the first time all season, the Eagles actually have a decent problem at edge rusher. Uche, though, won't feel the same way as he wants to play more often, so he will lose snaps this season and might not be on the team next year.