The Indianapolis Colts traded wide receiver Josh Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for 2027 fourth- and fifth-round picks, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reports.
This was a smart move on both sides. The Colts continue their fire sale, while the Chiefs add another much-needed weapon for Patrick Mahomes. Downs gives the Chiefs an underrated slot receiver who could emerge as a reliable option for Mahomes for multiple seasons, given he's just 25 years old.
Downs was someone we wanted the Arizona Cardinals to target at the deadline, as his age would align with their young core. Not that they were connected to Downs in rumors, but it's clear GM Monti Ossenfort needs to do something to address this depleted wide receiver room.
Michael Wilson, Kendrick Bourne, and Jalen Brooks are all out with season-ending injuries. That may not affect their slim-to-none playoff chances in the short term, but it does make it more difficult to evaluate rookie Carson Beck at quarterback. It's not really fair or accurate to try to get a read on him after eight games throwing to fifth-round rookie Reggie Virgil and special teams contributor Semi Fehoko as his top wide receiver options.
Downs would've been a cheap solution to help give Beck another receiver to finish out the season and then could carry that momentum into next season, whether it's with Beck or a quarterback they draft in the first round of 2027.
Cardinals needed a Josh Downs-like trade to keep this offense afloat
Not to say the Cardinals had much business being buyers at the deadline, but a receiver should've been the exception given their desperation. Finding someone of value like Downs, who could've continued to grow alongside this young core and be paired with Michael Wilson next season, should've been a higher priority.
Hopefully Arizona now spends another pick in the draft on a receiver, but then again it makes things that much more difficult for Beck and this offense to finish the season. The Cardinals were active in trading Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jacoby Brissett ahead of the deadline but needed to make follow-up moves, especially with the amount of injuries that have quickly piled up since.
Downs won't be the piece that makes or breaks the season for the Cardinals. But it's these moves on the margins that the Cardinals and Ossenfort continue to ignore that prevent them from moving forward in this rebuild.
Beck's season debut could come Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams with Virgil, Fehoko, and Devin Duvernay as his top options. That's not very encouraging and could mean not only a lost season for Arizona but also a wasted one. Trades like Downs, these moves on the margins, were needed to at least attempt to keep this season afloat, remain competitive, and give both Beck and this team a fair shot.
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