Reggie Wayne isn’t pretending the situation around Josh Downs is ordinary.
The Colts wide receivers coach said Thursday that he has not talked directly with Downs about the reported trade request, but he’s paying attention to how the receiver handles the spotlight and the uncertainty that comes with it.
“I think he is,” Wayne said when asked if he believed Downs can tune out the noise. “But I also think we should have more than two wins, so that means nothing.
At the end of the day, we’ll find out. He’s put himself in this situation, and I guess he’s ready for what comes along with it.
Hopefully it’s motivation. I don’t know.”
Downs, for his part, didn’t exactly slam the door on anything when he spoke to reporters in the locker room a day after Colts principal team owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon and assistant general manager Ed Dodds helped set the trade deadline picture in motion by sending guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner elsewhere.
Asked about where he sees himself in a changing roster picture, Downs kept it open-ended.
“I’m open to whatever comes my way. I’m here right now.
I’m where my feet are. We’ve got the (Jaguars) this weekend, and I’m in the gameplan, so I’ve got to be ready to go,” Downs said.
“I’m here today but whatever comes my way, comes my way, and I’ll go from there.”
With Alec Pierce on injured reserve after reaggravating his surgically repaired left heel, the Colts have leaned hard on Downs and tried to deploy him in every imaginable way to spark the passing game. That push hasn’t produced much.
Downs has caught just 26 of 46 targets, a little better than 50%, as defenses have crowded him on third down without Pierce stretching the field. He’s also had a few drops, including three in the Oct. 18 loss to the Titans. For a player working through a contract year and trying to stake his claim as a top option, the 5-foot-9 receiver hasn’t quite seized the opportunity.
After seven games, Downs is on pace for 112 targets, which would be a career high, along with 63 catches and 746 receiving yards, both of which would rank among the top three marks of his four-year career. He has not scored a touchdown.
“It’s been an opportunity for him to show what else he can do,” Wayne said. “I think he’s been doing that. We’ve missed him a couple times when he’s been open, but there’s been some plays where he’s dropped the ball, too, so it’s an opportunity for him to really show everybody what he’s capable of.”
Wayne said his focus isn’t on the outside chatter or the bigger picture beyond his position group. He acknowledged his own playing background, but said his responsibility is unchanged no matter who is in the receivers room.
“I’m going to continue to coach and coach to the best of my abilities. That’s my job.
I’m gonna do my job, and you ain’t got to worry 'bout that,” Wayne said. “We can go winless from this point on, and you just know Reggie is going to do his job.
Reggie’s going to do his part.
“I’m gonna be ready. I’m gonna have my dudes ready, and we’re going to go out there and kick somebody’s (expletive).”
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