11:10pm: Downs has requested a trade, according to Fowler. The Steelers are one of “multiple” teams from the AFC with interest in Downs, per Jordan Schultz.
11:08am: The 2-5 Colts announced themselves as sellers when they dealt guard Quenton Nelson to the Seahawks and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the 49ers on Tuesday. They could ship out more players, perhaps including star running back Jonathan Taylor, before the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon was willing to sign off on moving Nelson and Buckner, a pair of impending free agents, but is hesitant to part with the recently extended Taylor. Fortunately for Irsay-Gordon, it doesn’t appear Taylor is seeking an exit. Head coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday that Taylor has not requested a trade, Mike Chappell of FOX59 relays.
On the other hand, Steichen was unwilling to reveal whether either Nelson or Buckner lobbied for a trades, saying (via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star), “I’ll keep all of that private.”
Colts interim general manager Ed Dodds accepted a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder for Nelson. He took a 2027 fourth-rounder for Buckner, who would not have brought back as much had the Colts kept him and watched him leave in free agency during the offseason. Because Buckner has played at least 10 NFL seasons (this is his 11th), the Colts wouldn’t have gotten more than a compensatory fifth-rounder had he departed on the open market.
If the Colts are going to trade Taylor, the face of their franchise, it will naturally take more than they received for either Nelson or Buckner. They reportedly want a second-rounder and more for the 27-year-old Taylor, a three-time Pro Bowler who is on track for his fifth 1,000-yard season. After leading the league with 20 touchdowns last year, Taylor is tied for first in rushing TDs this season (eight).
While the Colts are in no immediate danger of losing Taylor, who inked a two-year, $44MM extension in August, slot receiver Josh Downs could leave on his own in the offseason. Given that Downs is poised to become a free agent in March, Dodds could go the same path with him that he did with Nelson and Buckner. Dodds wouldn’t have trouble finding a taker for Downs, who has drawn interest from “multiple teams,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
Downs, a 2023 third-rounder, averaged approximately 66 catches, 714 yards and four touchdowns per year over his first three seasons. He hasn’t scored a TD yet this year, but with 26 receptions and 307 yards in seven games, the 5-foot-9, 171-pounder is on pace for 63 and 748 in those categories. Downs should be able to help a contending team’s offense, which increases the likelihood of a trade in the next two weeks.
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