Fox Sports Insider Predicts Chiefs Will Acquire Colts WR

The Kansas City Chiefs are running out of time to make a trade and bring another wide receiver to the offense. 

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman was the latest player to be linked to the Chiefs in a potential trade. 

Now, another name has surfaced. Indianapolis Colts WR Josh Downs. 

Eric Williams and Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports had predictions for some of the top trade candidates going into the Nov. 10 deadline, and Williams had Downs landing with Kansas City. 

Vacchiano, on the other hand, predicted that Downs would end up going to the Pittsburgh Steelers, another WR-needy team and the Colts and Steelers already engineered a trade in the offseason for Michael Pittman Jr. 

"Kansas City has Travis Kelce to work the middle of the field — and that’s about it. Mahomes could use a sure-handed, twitchy route runner who can get open on got-to-have-it situations and move the chains for the Chiefs," Williams said. 

At this rate, the Chiefs desperately need another WR option for Patrick Mahomes and the offense. Travis Kelce currently leads the way, and backup running back Emmett Johnson is in the top 3 in receiving yards, which shows how severely the team needs an upgrade at the WR position. 

Downs requested a trade at the end of October, which came right after Indianapolis traded away DeForest Buckner and Quenton Nelson. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor has also been picking up steam in trade discussions, so the fire sale in Indianapolis could include Downs going somewhere else. 

The benefit for Kansas City in a deal that would acquire Downs is that he might be cheaper than some other options, such as Brian Thomas Jr. 

ESPN's Ben Solak has the Colts trading Downs and a fifth-round pick for a 2028 third-round pick, although Solak has the team as the Los Angeles Rams. 

Still, that's a general idea of what a deal for Downs would take to get done, a pick swap at that, which might work out well for Kansas City. 

Downs was a third-round pick in 2023 after he played at North Carolina. He has just 30 catches this year for 330 yards and a touchdown. His best season came in his second NFL season, when he had 72 receptions for 803 yards with 5 touchdowns. 

For some comparison, Downs' 330 yards would have him second on the team for the Chiefs in receiving yards, behind only Travis Kelce, and he would be almost 100 yards ahead of the next WR, although Rashee Rice has played just five games. 

The Chiefs need to add a WR somehow, and maybe Downs comes to Kansas City.