The Indianapolis Colts are playing multiple players involved in trade rumors on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, seemingly taking a big risk of an injury ruining their plans to deal guys away before the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline.
One of those players is Josh Downs, the talented slot receiver who is the de facto No. 1 target for the Colts while Alec Pierce is on injured reserve.
On Sunday, Downs was active, which is what the Colts said would happen. That’s despite Downs being in the last year of his contract, making him a prime trade candidate for a scuffling team. And that’s despite Downs having requested a trade, too.
You wouldn’t necessarily know from watching the start of Sunday’s game that Downs was actually playing, though. He got off to a quiet start.
Is Josh Downs Playing Today?
Yes, Downs is active and healthy and playing on Sunday.
There was never a guarantee that he’d get his usual playing time or role amid trade rumors.
But you’d assume with the Colts keeping Downs active, he’d get the football at least some.
In the first quarter, though, Downs didn’t even have a target.
Why Josh Downs Isn’t Catching Passes
The big problem for Downs early didn’t seem to be his trade request.
The Colts just weren’t getting much action going through the air in the first quarter.
The Jaguars took the air out of the ball with a 98-yard drive that lasted nearly eight minutes in the first quarter. That made it tough for the Colts to have much time to do anything.
It could be tough for Downs in the meantime, anyway. Daniel Jones hasn’t been as good this season as he was last season. There have been calls to bench Jones, and questions about whether he’ll even be Indy’s QB next season.
The vibes aren’t working in favor of Indianapolis having a great passing game. Downs will have to succeed in spite of that.
Is Josh Downs Playing Today? Why Colts’ WR Isn’t Catching Passes Amid Trade Rumors