Chiefs Acquire Josh Downs From Colts for 2027 Picks

The Indianapolis Colts traded wide receiver Josh Downs to the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, sending Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Kansas City for 2027 fourth- and fifth-round selections, according to the Colts’ official announcement. The Colts specified the seventh-rounder going to the Chiefs is a Buffalo pick. Both clubs posted the move as completed at the 2026 NFL trade deadline.

The trade arrives as Kansas City (6-2) adds a receiver following Xavier Worthy’s Week 9 hamstring injury, a need framed by NFL.com and the Associated Press, and as Indianapolis (2-7) continues to move veterans for draft picks during deadline week.

What did the Chiefs give up, and is the trade official?

The Colts and Chiefs completed a pick-for-player swap ahead of the trade deadline, the teams confirmed. Indianapolis receives Kansas City’s 2027 fourth- and fifth-round picks; the Chiefs receive wide receiver Josh Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick that originated with Buffalo, according to the Colts’ official writeup by JJ Stankevitz published Tuesday afternoon (Colts.com). The Colts’ transactions page lists, dated 11/10, “Acquired a 2027 fourth-round and fifth-round selection from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for (WR) Josh Downs and a 2027 seventh-round selection (BUF)” (transactions).

Kansas City’s official 2026 transactions page records “Josh Downs (WR) acquired via trade with the Indianapolis Colts” on 11/10 (Chiefs transactions), and Downs appears on the Chiefs’ official roster with his career statistics carried over from his Colts tenure (Chiefs roster). Chiefs Wire, via Yahoo Sports, reported that both teams “officially confirmed” the trade at the deadline and noted the confirmations were also posted to the teams’ social accounts (Yahoo/Chiefs Wire).

Earlier Tuesday, NFL.com wrote that the same pick terms were reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and that “Indianapolis announced the trade shortly after” (NFL.com). The Associated Press similarly described the exchange of Kansas City’s 2027 fourth- and fifth-rounders for Downs and a seventh-round pick, citing two people familiar with the deal who said the trade would become official upon a physical; later, both clubs posted the acquisition as completed (AP).

For additional deadline context, see NewsCubby’s same-day coverage of a separate quarterback trade: Vikings reacquire Kirk Cousins from the Raiders.

Why did the Colts trade Downs now?

Indianapolis continued a multi-move reshaping of its roster at the deadline, adding draft capital for 2027 and 2028. The Downs trade followed the Colts’ earlier move Tuesday sending veteran receiver Keenan Allen to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 sixth-round pick, per the Colts’ official pages (Colts.com; transactions). In the lead-up to the deadline, Indianapolis also traded guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, moves covered in NewsCubby’s Oct. 28 package (NewsCubby: Buckner and Nelson trades).

After the series of deals involving Downs, Allen, Nelson and Buckner, the Colts detailed their remaining picks in 2027 and 2028 (Colts.com):

2027 - Second round - Third round - Third round (from Seattle) - Fourth round - Fourth round (from San Francisco) - Fourth round (from Kansas City) - Fifth round - Fifth round (from Kansas City) - Sixth round (from San Francisco via Baltimore) - Seventh round

2028 - First round - Second round - Third round - Fourth round - Fifth round - Fifth round (from Seattle) - Sixth round - Seventh round

NFL.com added background on Downs’ situation entering the deadline: He is in a contract year with free agency looming in early 2027; after Indianapolis traded Michael Pittman to Pittsburgh and extended Alec Pierce in the offseason, Downs requested a trade in the wake of subsequent moves shipping Nelson to Seattle and Buckner to San Francisco, per NFL.com. NFL.com wrote that coach Shane Steichen convinced Downs to continue participating after the request; after two games played, the Colts decided to get the best return available before his expected free agency (NFL.com).

On Tuesday, NFL.com reported Downs posted two brief messages on social media in response to the trade: “I am beyond grateful and blessed for my time in Indy,” and “Nothing but love for the Shoe” (NFL.com).

Indianapolis also made other roster moves Tuesday, signing WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to the 53-man roster from the practice squad and adding LS Jacob Bobenmoyer to the practice squad, according to the team’s transactions page (Colts transactions). CBS Sports noted Westbrook-Ikhine’s elevation amid the deadline activity and wrote that field-stretcher Alec Pierce is on injured reserve with an expectation to return this season; CBS also characterized the Colts as parting with four players on expiring contracts and rebuilding the roster under a new general manager who has yet to be hired (CBS Sports).

For additional midseason and deadline context around Kansas City’s season, see NewsCubby’s Oct. 26 briefing that included Seattle’s 20-3 win over the Chiefs and looked ahead to the Nov. 10 deadline (NewsCubby: MNF preview and Chiefs context).

How has Downs played in Indianapolis?

Downs, 25, joined the Colts as a 2023 third-round pick out of North Carolina. Through nine games in 2026 (seven starts), he recorded 33 receptions on 57 targets for 354 yards and one touchdown, per Colts.com. The Chiefs’ roster page lists the same line, along with one rush for 7 yards this season (Chiefs roster).

Career with the Colts (now reflected on the Chiefs’ site): 231 receptions for 2,494 yards and 12 touchdowns in 56 games, with 35 starts, a 10.8-yard average per catch, a career long of 69 yards, four rushes for 17 yards, and one fumble lost (Chiefs roster; Colts.com). Year by year (all with Indianapolis):

• 2023: 17 games (9 starts), 68 receptions, 771 yards, 11.3 avg, long 59, 2 TD
• 2024: 14 games (8 starts), 72 receptions, 803 yards, 11.2 avg, long 69, 5 TD; 1 rush for 12 yards
• 2025: 16 games (11 starts), 58 receptions, 566 yards, 9.8 avg, long 34, 4 TD; 2 rushes for -2 yards; 1 fumble lost
• 2026: 9 games (7 starts), 33 receptions, 354 yards, 10.7 avg, long 42, 1 TD; 1 rush for 7 yards

NFL.com separately highlighted 2024 as Downs’ career best to date in receiving yards (803) and touchdowns (5) in 14 games, matching the official team totals (NFL.com). NFL.com described Downs as a slot receiver who became a reliable secondary option in Indianapolis, working alongside Michael Pittman and later Alec Pierce amid quarterback changes.

His 2026 game-by-game line with Indianapolis, per the Chiefs’ site:

• Week 1 (Sept. 13) vs. Ravens, L 23-41: 2 rec, 37 yds, long 25
• Week 2 (Sept. 20) at Chiefs, L 30-33 (OT): 7 rec, 72 yds, long 20
• Week 3 (Sept. 27) vs. Texans, W 19-17: 5 rec, 77 yds, long 24
• Week 4 (Oct. 4) at Commanders, W 30-13: 3 rec, 16 yds, long 9
• Week 5 (Oct. 11) at Steelers, L 22-34: 3 rec, 47 yds, long 42
• Week 6 (Oct. 18) vs. Titans, L 20-26: 4 rec, 40 yds, long 23; 1 rush, 7 yds
• Week 7 (Oct. 25) at Vikings, L 10-16: 2 rec, 18 yds, long 13
• Week 8 (Nov. 1) at Jaguars, L 7-42: 4 rec, 23 yds, long 8, 1 TD
• Week 9 (Nov. 8) vs. Cowboys, L 23-27: 3 rec, 24 yds, long 9

The Colts are 2-7 through nine games reflected in that log. One relevant note for Chiefs fans: Downs has already played at Arrowhead this season, producing seven receptions for 72 yards in the Colts’ 33-30 overtime loss on Sept. 20 (logs).

Why were the Chiefs looking for a receiver?

NFL.com framed the move as addressing a receiver need, noting that Rashee Rice returned from injury in Week 8 and helped improve the passing attack, but that room became short-handed when Xavier Worthy sustained a hamstring injury in the Week 9 win over the New York Jets (NFL.com). The AP likewise wrote that Kansas City was acquiring Downs to fill its “biggest position of need” two days after Worthy’s hamstring injury, attributing the information to two people familiar with the deal (AP).

CBS Sports, citing NFL Next Gen Stats, reported that Kansas City owns the NFL’s 10th-best passing offense but has been more reliant on yards after the catch than any team in the league. Next Gen Stats also show that Chiefs wide receivers accounted for just 46.0% of the team’s receiving yards through Week 9, the second-lowest rate in the NFL, ahead of only the Raiders at 36.8%. On the player fit, CBS wrote that Downs was not much of a downfield target in Indianapolis, seeing 21 targets of 20-plus yards over the last three seasons, per Next Gen Stats (CBS Sports).

Kansas City is 6-2 entering Week 10, per the Falcons’ official game center and the Chiefs’ schedule (Falcons game center; Chiefs schedule). The Chiefs’ recent results include a 35-12 win over the Jets in Week 9 and earlier back-to-back losses in Weeks 7 and 8, according to the team site’s 2026 slate (Chiefs schedule).

What’s next

The Chiefs visit the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, televised on CBS (Falcons game center; Chiefs schedule). The Colts host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 1 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium, also on CBS (Colts schedule).

Kansas City has not announced Downs’ Week 10 availability or whether he would have a starting role this weekend. Roster status, role, and any potential snap count changes are to be determined by the club and have not been posted on the team sites or in the league materials cited here. For broader trade-deadline movement around the league, see NewsCubby’s coverage of Tuesday’s quarterback deal involving Minnesota and Las Vegas (NewsCubby: Cousins to Vikings) and our earlier look ahead to the deadline’s dynamics in late October (NewsCubby: MNF preview and Chiefs context).

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*ARCHIVE PHOTO: An aerial view of Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Aug. 31, 2013. This is not a photograph of Josh Downs and is not an image from the 2026 trade. Photo: Ichabod / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0.*

*NewsCubby articles are produced with AI assistance and reviewed by humans.*