WESTFIELD, Ind. -- Even on a day the Indianapolis Colts amassed 519 yards of offense, ran 77 plays and played six additional minutes of overtime, you practically needed a microscope to find receiver Josh Downs in the final box score.
There was no greater example of the limited opportunities that came Downs' way in 2025 than the Colts' November win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Downs had two pass targets from quarterback Daniel Jones, finishing with one reception for 3 yards. For further perspective, consider that Downs had more punt-return opportunities in the game (three) than he did pass-catching chances.
"Last year we had a kind of a packed room with a lot of good receivers in there," Downs said on another day in which he established himself as one of the stars of the Colts' ongoing training camp. "... But it teaches you patience, teaches you to just be grateful for what you get. And I just keep working. I was still doing all the stuff I was doing the years before. Just got to just keep going, keep your head down and stay on the grind."But the 2026 season should not test Downs' patience in a similar fashion. The time for patience has passed.
This is Downs' moment.
"I'm trying to show I'm a really good receiver," Downs said.
He averaged 787 receiving yards and 103 targets in his first two seasons (2023-2024) and seemed to be an ascending player. But myriad factors impacted Downs' usage last season, when he had a career-low 566 yards on 58 receptions: The emergence of rookie tight end Tyler Warren, the role of now-departed receiver Michael Pittman Jr., and the downfield feats of Alec Pierce, who led the NFL in yards per catch, all played a role.
Downs was relegated to a garden-variety slot receiver in an offense that otherwise was employing an aggressive passing game. Accordingly, his per-catch average dropped from 11.3 yards over his first two seasons to 9.8.
But there is an effort underway to reprioritize Downs in 2026. Some of that is happening organically; Pittman has been traded and Pierce is still rehabbing from offseason surgery. But some of it seems more deliberate, with the Colts in recent months emphasizing just how good Downs was in his first two seasons and vowing not to forget.
"I'm a big Josh Downs fan," general manager Chris Ballard said.Said coach Shane Steichen: "There's guys that have got to step up, and Downs is going to be one of those guys."
The 2026 season is going to look different in big and small ways for Downs.
And that goes beyond just the amount of usage he's expected to see. How he's specifically used is likely to change, including where he lines up on the field. Downs has been primarily a slot receiver, but that could be less true this season. He's played 67.1% of his career snaps in the slot and just 40 of his 198 career receptions have come when he was lined up as a perimeter receiver.
But the Colts are now more convinced he can play a bigger role on the outside, allowing them to utilize more two-receiver, two-tight end formations. Downs is much smaller than an ideal outside receiver (5-foot-9, 171 pounds), making him susceptible to press coverage. But the Colts can help him evade that by putting him in pre-snap motion or lining him up off the line of scrimmage. That's something another undersized Colts star, T.Y. Hilton, provided a blueprint for during his impressive career.
Steichen confirmed the Colts' intent, describing Downs as "a guy that can play inside and outside now for us, and his role is going to improve this season."
Further, the Colts believe Downs can add more explosiveness to his game. He showed an ability to stretch the field on deeper routes in his first two seasons. But those were much rarer last season. His share of receptions that netted 20 yards or more in his first two seasons was 14.3%; it dropped to 6.9% last season.
Now, with Pierce expected to play a more varied role after being primarily a deep threat, there likely will be chances for Downs to show his downfield chops.
The timing of all this is fortuitous for Downs. He's entering the final season of his rookie contract and is looking to get paid like the star he believes he is.
"I feel like I'm just as good as some of the best guys in the league and I'm excited for more opportunities," he said.
His chance to prove it is here.
