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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Before Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Kansas City Chiefs acquired wide receiver Josh Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the Indianapolis Colts. Kansas City sent its 2027 fourth- and fifth-round picks to Indianapolis.
Downs had asked the Colts for a trade, ESPN’s Nate Taylor and Stephen Holder reported. His contract expires after this season. He met with Kansas City reporters for the first time Wednesday.
“I’ve got so much respect for the Colts, 2-6 or not. They drafted me. Showed love to me. I enjoyed my time,” Downs said.
The 25-year-old Downs has 33 catches for 354 yards and a touchdown in nine games this season. In three-plus seasons with Indianapolis, he caught 231 passes for 2,494 yards and 12 touchdowns, according to Chiefs.com. His best year came in 2024, with 72 catches for 803 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Colts drafted him out of North Carolina in the third round in 2023 with the No. 79 overall pick.
Andy Reid Says Josh Downs Has The Aptitude For A Midseason Move
Kansas City went into the deadline thin at receiver. Tyquan Thornton, who had been the team’s top deep threat, dislocated his left ankle and needed surgery. Xavier Worthy left Sunday’s win over the New York Jets late in the fourth quarter with a left hamstring injury. Patrick Mahomes has not completed a pass of more than 20 air yards since Week 4, according to ESPN.
Downs already had a look at Arrowhead. In Week 2, he caught 7 passes for 72 yards against the Chiefs, and six of those catches moved the chains. Kansas City won that game 33-30 in overtime.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid met with reporters Wednesday before practice. General manager Brett Veach made the trade.
“They’ve got to have some aptitude,” Reid said. “They’ve got to be smart and some capacity there to learn quickly. And so when Brett was going through and looking at different people, he kept that in mind for sure. [Veach] knows exactly what it takes to be able to function in this thing, especially if you bring a guy in that needs to get in there and do his thing.”
“That’s why you make trades and so on. So, that’s what we felt about Josh: That he has that ability, and now it’s just a matter of him spending the time to knock it out,” Reid continued. “But he’s a pretty alert kid. I think you guys will see that when you have a chance to visit with him.”
Reid did not commit to a role for Downs on Sunday. He pointed to the receiver’s quickness, speed, and option routes.
“That’s what he’s been great at, all the option routes,” Reid explained. “So, but you got to be coordinated with the quarterback, and then you’ve got to have that in as a play. So, got to see where it all goes the next couple of days here, and I just want to get on the field with both of them and see how they handle one another there. I’m anticipating good things. I’m not trying to sign a negative here. It’s just that this is fresh.”
Patrick Mahomes, Rashee Rice See A Quick Fit For Downs
Mahomes answered the trade Tuesday by posting an alarm clock emoji on X over Downs’ own post. He hurt his throwing elbow in Sunday’s win over the Jets, and Reid said Wednesday that the two-time MVP has been throwing and was set to practice.
“Always exciting to add another player, adding someone that’s been productive in this league, and that can really help out,” Mahomes said. “And from meeting Josh today. I mean, really, just the mindset that he has. I can tell he’s gonna fit in that room perfectly, and really help us continue to get better and better as we kind of continue down the stretch here.”
Chiefs.com, citing Pro Football Focus data, reported that Downs has been targeted 19 times against man coverage this season. He caught 11 of those passes for 126 yards and nine first downs. His 10 receptions that converted on third down rank 12th in the NFL.
“He does a great job of winning one-on-one matchups, which is always important,” Mahomes explained. “He runs routes really well. He sets them up really well, where he will run a route early in the game that he sets up for another one later in the game. And then he has really good feel.”
Wide receiver Rashee Rice entered the league with Downs in the 2023 draft. The two worked out together before that draft and have kept training together in the offseason.
“I think he’s going to be a great weapon to be able to add to the weapons that we already have,” Rice said. “He’s a great player. You can watch his film and see that for yourself.”
To open a roster spot, the Chiefs released wide receiver Nikko Remigio and defensive end Jack Pyburn on Wednesday. Downs spent his first day in the building trying to learn the playbook.
“It’s good when guys welcome you and accept you. I feel like it’s my turn to earn their respect on the field, and earn their respect as a teammate,” Downs explained. “Just do anything I can to learn the offense as fast as possible. I don’t want to be a guy asking what the play is, what the formation is. That’s when you get left behind. I want to learn the offense as fast as possible.”
The Chiefs are 6-2 and visit the 3-6 Atlanta Falcons at noon CT Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game airs on CBS.
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