Sunday must’ve been a very odd day for Josh Downs.
The Indianapolis Colts wide receiver was facing his brother, Dallas Cowboys rookie defensive back Caleb Downs — and he was doing it in the context of heavy trade rumors surrounding him.
Downs is believed to have requested a trade, too, which only adds to the saga and the tension in Indy.
He’s a logical trade candidate, to be fair, a player on an expiring contract who won’t help a struggling, rebuilding team much the rest of this season.
But Downs is also a slot receiver that has struggled to impact games in recent weeks, and a couple drops on Sunday will only confuse matters further.
It would be a surprise for Downs not to get traded, but the vibes coming from Downs himself at the moment make everything a bit more uncomfortable.
Josh Downs Trade Update
The Athletic’s James Boyd spent a good portion of his article after Sunday’s game writing specifically about Downs.
Downs has been a bit unclear in a lot of his answers to reporters in recent weeks, and Boyd painted this scene from postgame Sunday:
Josh Downs was caught off guard.
Roughly an hour after the Indianapolis Colts lost 27-23 to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Colts wide receiver, who recently requested a trade, stood in the home locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium and fielded questions about his uncertain future with the franchise.
Among them: Do you still want to be here?
“You know, I mean …” Downs began, before pausing to look directly at the reporter who had asked the question. He then muttered under his breath, “You funny for that.”
After breaking the fourth wall of his interview, Downs continued.
“I said I’m open to whatever,” he said. “If they want me to stay here, I’mma stay here. If they don’t (and) if they want to trade me away, they’ll trade me away.”
Boyd goes on to write that Downs has “wilted” under the pressure of the trade rumors and trade request.
Downs was also asked whether his trade request has impacted his performance, and he said, “I don’t have an answer for that.”
Given the uncomfortable recent times for Downs in Indy, it might not even make sense for the Colts to consider keeping him. Everyone here seems to need a fresh start.
8 Teams Need WR
The good news for Downs and the Colts is that a lot of teams need WR help.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote in a new article after Sunday’s games about the need around the league for wideout help.
“I think the receiver market will be aggressive,” Graziano writes. “The list of contenders that really need wide receiver help includes the Chiefs, Patriots, 49ers, Steelers, Seahawks and Rams. You could also make a case the Broncos and Giants belong in that group.”
The Chiefs particularly have been linked to Downs. It seems a matter of who and when, not if, as it pertains to a Downs trade.
Colts’ Josh Downs Trade Update Arrives Before Deadline