The Indianapolis Colts have a week to do something with Josh Downs.
The talented slot receiver is on an expiring contract and has requested a trade. The NFL's trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10, and it would be shocking to see Indy pass that date with Downs still on their roster.
It's just a matter of figuring out who will take Downs and what they'll send in return.
There are plenty of ideas floating around out there, but a new one on Tuesday brings some strong intrigue, because it would send Downs to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Colts have reportedly been seeking a third-round pick in return for Downs.
ESPN's Ben Solak has concocted a trade that would get the Colts a pick in that round, although with a slight extra cost.
Solak proposed in a new article on Tuesday that the Colts could trade Downs and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Rams for a 2028 third-round pick.
Given that Downs' contract expires at the end of the season, this would be about as good a return as the Colts could potentially expect.
Solak does a good breakdown of how he feels Downs would fit on the Rams.
"My biggest hang-up in trading Downs to anyone is that he has to be protected from blocking responsibilities," Solak writes. "But the Rams run so much 13 personnel that Downs can easily line up in isolation to the outside and stay out of the run concept. He gives them a short-area winner for the goal-line and third-down packages at which wideout Davante Adams excelled — and, with Matthew Stafford struggling on longer throws and wanting to check down more often, quick winners are needed. We typically think of Sean McVay as fielding only big-blocking slots, but in this newfangled McVay attack, Downs actually works. If the Rams are still all-in on this version of their team, Downs makes sense as a short-term relief valve and potential long-term signee to pair with Puka Nacua for the Ty Simpson era."
That last line is particularly interesting — that the Rams could view Downs as an extension candidate to stick around even once Stafford is retired.
Solak's idea that the Rams could extend Downs is interesting in the context of the Colts, because there's a fair question to ask here — why haven't the Colts extended Downs themselves?
He's not a veteran on an expiring contract, like most trade deadline candidates. This is the end of Downs' rookie contract, and he's a good player.
The most popular theory is that Alec Pierce's $114 million contract this offseason stopped the Colts from any other receiver investments, but that explanation only goes so far. Downs, as a slot guy, wouldn't cost nearly as much.
But for whatever reason, Indy is looking to trade Downs, not extend him, and that could set up a long career for him elsewhere.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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