Chiefs acquire veteran WR Josh Downs from Indianapolis Colts
The Kansas City Chiefs have traded for 25-year-old wide receiver Josh Downs, who spent four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and posted career totals of 231 catches, 2,494 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Kansas City added wide receiver Josh Downs to its roster after a trade with the Indianapolis Colts. Downs, 25, appeared in at least 14 games in each of his last three seasons with the Colts, recording no fewer than 55 catches and 550 receiving yards per year. His most productive season came in 2024, when he logged 72 receptions for 803 yards and five touchdowns.
Downs impressed the Chiefs’ front office during a Week 2 matchup against Kansas City, posting a seven-catch, 72-yard effort that yielded six first-downs. Analysts note his strength in man coverage; Fantasy Points Data ranked him third in the league for "separation score," while Pro Football Focus reported he was targeted 19 times against man coverage this season, catching 11 of those passes for 126 yards and nine first-downs.
His ability to convert on third down is also highlighted by ten first-down receptions on third-down plays, the 12th-most in the NFL despite playing in a Colts offense that has struggled recently. The Chiefs expect his route-running and space-finding skills to complement receivers Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and others.
Downs was rated the No. 6 wide receiver in his draft class by The Athletic’s Dane Brugger, who projected him as a second-round pick. Brugger described him as a "dynamic athlete with above-average agility" and praised his "shifty route runner" abilities.
At the University of North Carolina, Downs set single-season school records with 101 catches and 1,335 receiving yards in 2021 and finished his college career with the third-most receptions (202) and fifth-most yards (2,483) in program history. He comes from a football family; his younger brother Caleb was selected 11th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, and his uncle Dre' Bly played 11 seasons in the league.