5 teams that should target Colts WR as Carlie Irsay-Gordon signals fire sale in Indianapolis

Josh Downs has largely flown under the radar for most of his NFL career, but now, he is getting the spotlight – and not for good reason.

On Tuesday, the Indianapolis Colts were announced to have traded guard Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner to teams in the NFC West. This comes amid speculation that the organization is planning a fire sale as part of a major rebuild under principal owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon and interim general manager Ed Dodds.

All-time great running back Jonathan Taylor has been floated as the next highest-profile target, but Downs is also a possibility. That being said, here are the five likeliest trade destinations for him before the deadline.

5) San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers still lead the NFC West despite a loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and that stretch has been helped by dominant performances by Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle.

However, Kyle Shanahan could surely pray for a wideout who can prove a potent deep threat, especially with Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, De’Zhaun Stribling, and Ricky Pearsall dealing with injuries. Downs can provide that, while also being a deadly returner on special teams.

4) New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are in a bit of an offensive slump.

The trade for A.J. Brown has proven to be less fruitful than expected, and Romeo Doubs has largely disappointed as the WR2. It is clear that Mike Vrabel needs more firepower for Drake Maye, and luckily, a familiar face could provide that.

Downs was Maye’s favorite target during the quarterback’s first season as North Carolina’s starter in 2022, catching 94 passes for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns en route to a second straight first-team All-ACC selection. Perhaps the chemistry between the two can be revisited in Foxboro.

3) Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals’ offense took a major hit when Marvin Harrison Jr. was traded to the Houston Texans earlier this month.

While he had been somewhat disappointing, he could still have developed into an explosive wide receiver, especially with the offensive-minded Mike LaFleur in charge. Instead, Michael Wilson and Trey McBride are now left carrying most of the load.

There needs to be someone who can reduce their burden and also contribute on special teams, and Josh Downs provides just that.

2) Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs appeared to have reinvigorated themselves on offense after signing reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency. Finally, the franchise would seemingly have its first thousand-yard ground-game dominator since Kareem Hunt in 2017.

For the first five games, it went well. Walker was destroying defenses left and right, and Patrick Mahomes did not need to play hero ball too much. Then the Chiefs visited Walker’s former haunts in Seattle on Sunday and learned a harsh lesson: do not focus too much on one weapon.

Outside of Travis Kelce, the team has basically no passing game. That lopsidedness is not viable, and Josh Downs is the perfect weapon to relieve some of the burden from Andy Reid’s usual suspects.

1) New York Giants

Here is a shocking current factoid about the New York Giants: They have just four active wide receivers.

Calvin Austin III, Braxton Berrios, and Gunner Olszewski are out for the season with injuries to varying parts of their legs. Odell Beckham Jr. lasted just three games before being cut, and JuJu Smith-Schuster never made it past the preseason.

It seems that John Harbaugh wants to lean on his running backs and tight ends more, but what if that does not pan out and/or any of his wideouts gets hurt again? Hence, Josh Downs would be a great get on both offense and special teams. He can contribute immediately for the NFC East’s surprise current leaders.