The Green Bay Packers have seen what a healthy Lukas Van Ness can do while Micah Parsons remains sidelined.
Bleacher Report believes another proven pass rusher may belong on Green Bay’s radar anyway.
In his Sept. 23 trade-block big board, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox listed Miami Dolphins edge rusher Josh Uche as an NFL trade candidate entering Week 3 and listed the Packers among two potential suitors.
Knox projected Uche’s trade value at a conditional 2027 sixth-round pick, putting him in the low-cost category for a contender looking to deepen its pass-rush rotation.
That’s an intriguing price for a 28-year-old who has produced an 11.5-sack season and is playing on a one-year, $1.4 million contract.
Uche Gives Packers a Cheap Pass-Rush Swing
Uche hasn’t filled up the sack column through two games with Miami, but his early numbers are more hopeful beneath the surface. He has 10 tackles and one tackle for loss while playing 51% of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps, according to Bleacher Report.
Pro Football Focus has credited Uche with four pressures on 34 pass-rush snaps and a 71.5 pass-rush grade, which ranks 26th among 109 qualified edge defenders through Week 2.
The larger selling point is what Uche has flashed at his best. The Dolphins noted after signing him in March that he generated 56 quarterback pressures during his 11.5-sack breakout with the New England Patriots in 2022, then followed with 37 pressures in 2023.
Miami signed Uche to a one-year, $1.4025 million deal in March, according to Spotrac. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, which makes him a logical short-term trade piece if the 0-2 Dolphins continue sliding.
Uche’s career has included stops with New England, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles before landing in Miami. He owns 21.5 career sacks in 78 games.
Green Bay wouldn’t need him to rediscover his 2022 peak to justify a late-round pick. A situational role around obvious passing downs could allow the Packers to chase the version of Uche who made his name with speed off the edge.
Packers Have Short-Term Reason to Keep Adding Up Front
Green Bay’s pass rush is coming off its best stretch of the young season.
Van Ness administered a career game in the Packers’ 20-17 overtime win over the New York Jets, finishing with nine tackles, three tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks, per the team’s official site.
Next Gen Stats also credited Van Ness with a career-high nine pressures, five in less than 2.5 seconds.
That breakout reduces the sense of urgency around the position. But the value of a veteran rusher is never low, especially with Parsons working back from the torn ACL and meniscus injury that ended his 2025 season.
Parsons came into the year on the physically unable to perform list, and the Packers said in June that his nine-month rehab timeline pointed toward a return to practice around late September with game action coming afterward.
Green Bay has leaned on Van Ness and its younger edge options in the meantime.
Adding Uche would give defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon an experienced choice without requiring a big-time draft investment or long-term commitment. It would also create a deeper rotation for when Parsons returns rather than forcing Green Bay to lean heavily on its top rushers for every high-leverage snap.
Bleacher Report’s projected conditional sixth-round price makes the idea especially easy to understand.
Assuming Miami decides to keep selling and Green Bay wants another pass-rush specialist for the stretch run, Uche profiles as a relatively inexpensive swing with enough past production to make the gamble interesting.
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