The Kansas City Chiefs made an addition to their passing attack on Tuesday by acquiring wide receiver Josh Downs from the Indianapolis Colts.
Here are five things to know about the newest member of the offense.
1. Downs had spent his entire career with the Colts until now.
The 25-year-old Downs spent the entirety of his career with Indianapolis up until this point, catching 231 passes for 2,494 yards and 12 touchdowns during his tenure with the Colts.
A durable player, Downs appeared in at least 14 games in each of the previous three seasons, tallying no less than 55 catches and 550 receiving yards in all three campaigns. His best statistical season took place in 2024, when Downs hauled in 72 catches for 803 yards and five scores.
The 5-foot-9, 171-pound Downs has 33 grabs for 354 yards and a score in nine games this year.
2. He put together a strong game at Arrowhead earlier this year.
The universe foreshadowed this acquisition back in Week 2 when Downs put together his top game of the season – a 7-catch, 72-yard performance – against the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. Notably, six of Downs' seven receptions picked up a first down.
Downs clearly caught the attention of the Chiefs' front office, and just eight weeks later, he's headed back to Kansas City.
3. Downs is an excellent route-runner who has a track record of separating vs. man coverage.
Downs' calling card is his ability to win against man coverage. An excellent route-runner who has a natural feel for space, the shifty Downs has demonstrated an ability to consistently separate against 1-on-1 defenders.
The folks at Fantasy Points Data, for example, assigned Downs the third-best "separation score" of any wide receiver in the NFL this season behind only Garrett Wilson and Zay Flowers.
Additionally, according to Pro Football Focus, Downs has been targeted 19 times vs. man coverage this season – the seventh-most of any player – and on those plays, he caught 11 passes for 126 yards and nine first downs while tallying 63 yards after-the-catch.
That prowess vs. man coverage has showed up on third down, too. Downs' 10 first-down receptions that moved the chains on third down are the 12th-most in the NFL despite taking place as part of a Colts' offense that has struggled to throw the football in recent weeks. Now in Kansas City, that skillset will help to open things up for fellow receivers Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and others.
4. Downs entered the NFL as a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The No. 79 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Downs was the 12th wide receiver selected that year.
He was the No. 6 overall wide receiver in his class according to The Athletic's Dane Brugler, who projected Downs as a second-round pick in his pre-draft guide. Here's a portion of what Brugler wrote about Downs back in 2023:
"[Downs is a] dynamic athlete with above-average agility. [He's] masterful at controlling his acceleration to tease defensive backs, [and he's a] shifty route runner with the footwork to shake coverage early or at the break point. [Downs is] instinctive and finds the blind spots of defenders, [plus he] does a great job finding holes in the defense, especially on scramble plays."
Brugler's projections turned out to be spot on, and now Downs will bring that ability to Kansas City.
5. He played his college ball at the University of North Carolina.
One of the top pass-catchers to ever play for the Tarheels, Downs set the school single-season record for catches (101) and receiving yards (1,335) in 2021. A two-year starter, he certainly made the most of his opportunities, leaving Chapel Hill with the third-most receptions (202) and fifth-most receiving yards (2,483) in school history, doing so in just 23 starts.
Downs comes from a football family, too. His younger brother, Caleb, was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft earlier this year while his uncle, Dre' Bly, played 11 years in the NFL.
Now in Kansas City, Downs will have a chance to continue that impressive legacy as a member of the Chiefs.
