The Indianapolis Colts are having a fire sale, making multiple high-profile trades after firing GM Chris Ballard. Now, the New England Patriots may want to get in on that excitement ahead of the Trade Deadline.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz made it clear that Josh Downs, the star wide receiver, is among those on the trade block as the Colts begin a massive rebuild. That's someone who the Patriots could be interested by. In fact, Josh Taylor also reported the Patriots are interested in Downs. Of course, they're not alone in that.
"The Raiders, Jags, Patriots, Chiefs, Rams, and 49ers are all interested in Josh Downs per sources," Taylor wrote.
At 25 years old, Downs is currently in his fourth NFL season. Through seven games, he has 26 receptions for 307 yards, or 11.8 yards per reception. He doesn't have any receiving touchdowns yet, but does have 11 total for his career.
Despite that, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has done his best to not share the team's plans at the NFL Trade Deadline.
"I don't know if we will or we won't," Mike Vrabel said on Monday. "I would imagine that we'll try to do everything that we can to help us within reason and make sense for us. I mean, I don't know how you want to interpret that, but I'm sure we'll listen and talk just like everybody else does."
One notable connection for the Patriots is that quarterback Drake Maye and Josh Downs played together at North Carolina. That gives them a level of connection and familiarity that is almost impossible to build up in the middle of the season.
In his own write-up, Mike Kadlick of Sports Illustrated took quick notice of that connection. It's a major reason why he felt the Patriots were one of the teams that makes the most sense to land Downs.
"Downs also makes sense for the Patriots given his connection with Maye. The two overlapped for one season while Maye was the starting quarterback at North Carolina , with Downs hauling in 94 receptions for 1,029 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns," Kadlick wrote .
"Could the two rekindle their once-electric connection from their college days? There's only one way to find out."
Downs left North Carolina a year before Maye did. However, they did have the entire 2022 season when both were starters. That year, Downs had 94 receptions for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns. That was just under one-third of Maye's passing yards and passing touchdowns for the season.
This offseason, the wide receiver room appeared to be a strength for the Patriots. It was going so well, they were even able to trade away Kayshon Boutte , who wasn't expected to get much playing time.
Things haven't necessarily gone according to plan, though. Injuries have taken their toll. A.J. Brown missed time with a sprained ankle, while Romeo Doubs and Mack Hollins are both currently out. Even when Brown and Doubs have been healthy, they've underperformed.
"While A.J. Brown has returned from the high ankle sprain he sustained in Week 1 that kept him out for more than a month, fellow offseason acquisition Romeo Doubs is now on injured reserve after hurting his shoulder in Week 6 against the Raiders, as is Mack Hollins, who hurt his calf in the Patriots' win over the Bills earlier this month," Kadlick wrote.
Downs would definitively address that need. It's just a matter of being willing to pay what will likely be a steep price.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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