Source: Colts WR Downs requests trade; RB Taylor hasn’t, per Steichen

• Stephen HolderOct 28, 2026, 12:35 PM ET

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  Stephen joined ESPN in 2022, covering the Indianapolis Colts and NFL at large. Stephen finished first place in column writing in the 2015 Indiana Associated Press Media Editors competition, and he is a previous top-10 winner in explanatory journalism in the Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He has chronicled the NFL since 2005, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2013 and the Colts since 2013. He has previously worked for the Miami Herald, Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and The Athletic.

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INDIANAPOLIS — Colts fourth-year receiver Josh Downs, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, has requested a trade, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Asked Wednesday about his status with the team amid Tuesday’s trades of guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, Downs said, “I’m open to whatever. Whatever comes my way, come my way and we go from there.”

The fate of star running back Jonathan Taylor remains unclear, with multiple teams expressing interest in him, according to ESPN sources.

But Colts coach Shane Steichen on Wednesday said Taylor has not asked for a trade. Asked by reporters if Taylor had requested to be traded, coach Shane Steichen answered, “no.”

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“Those are hypothetical things right now,” Steichen said. “I know there’s stuff floating around out there, but JT’s on our football team.”

Whether that changes or not, the Colts (2-5) are likely to be operating under a cloud of uncertainty until the Nov. 10 trade deadline.

Downs, 25, has struggled with additional attention from defenses in the absence of No. 1 wideout Alec Pierce and the inconsistency of quarterback Daniel Jones.

Downs has 26 catches for 307 yards and no touchdowns this season. He has frequently dealt with a second defender in his area as the Colts lack other potent receiving threats. To that end, Downs has a career-low catch rate of 56.5% of his targets.

“I’m here right now,” he said. “I’m here right now. I’m where my feet are. We got the Jags this weekend and so I’m in the game plan. So, I’ve got to be ready to go.”

Steichen implored his team to remain focused.

“Anytime you lose guys like that, it hurts,” he said of the trades of Nelson and Buckner. “But that’s the NFL and that’s the hard part about it. That’s what we signed up for.”

Steichen was asked whether Nelson and Buckner had requested to be traded and replied that he would keep that information “private.”

The Colts (2-5) traded Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 fourth-round draft pick and Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.

The moves come a week after the Colts fired longtime general manager Chris Ballard.

Source: www.espn.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.