The Indianapolis Colts’ roster teardown kept rolling on Wednesday, and Josh Downs suddenly became the next name to watch.
One day after the team moved both Quenton Nelson and DeForst Buckner, Downs requested a trade, adding another layer to what has become a full-blown deadline shuffle in Indianapolis. The NFL Trade Deadline lands on November 10, giving the Colts two weeks to decide which pieces stay and which ones get shipped out.
What makes Downs’ request a little unusual is that it may not have changed much. According to Adam Schefter, Jordan Schultz, and Ian Rapoport, the Colts were probably going to trade him anyway. Jeremy Fowler was the one who broke the news on X.
Downs now joins the growing list of players to monitor as the deadline gets closer. The Colts have already moved two important veterans, and more departures could follow if the front office keeps chasing future assets instead of holding the current roster together.
Jonathan Taylor is also in the mix as a name to watch, though the sense is that Indianapolis would prefer to keep him. Any deal there would take a convincing offer.
Downs later added some context to his request, via Stephen Holder.
“I’m open to whatever. Whatever comes my way, comes my way and we go from there.”
A move still does not feel imminent. Since it’s Wednesday, a trade would be unlikely this late in the week with game day approaching, and Downs would need time to get comfortable in a new offense.
The teams to watch on that front are the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. Both are in the market for receiver help, and both have a real chance to get back to the Super Bowl this season after losing their first games last week.
For now, the Colts’ fire sale keeps the rest of the league on alert, and it’s got fans checking their phones.
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