The Colts' receiver room looks nothing like it did a year ago. Michael Pittman Jr. was traded to the Steelers, AD Mitchell went out the door as part of the package that brought Sauce Gardner to Indy, and suddenly the guy left holding the bag is Josh Downs, a 4th-year slot receiver who's spent most of his career playing in the shadow of bigger names.
Josh Downs should pick up the targets that Michael Pittman left behind 👀 https://t.co/T25XhhtyU7
That's not a hot take, it's just math. Pittman was the Colts' clear No. 1 for years and Mitchell was brought in to be a difference-maker outside. Both are gone. Downs has been Indy's slot guy since he arrived as a 3rd-round pick in 2023, but with the depth chart gutted at receiver, reports have him kicking outside into a bigger role in two-receiver sets, lining up next to Alec Pierce, who just cashed in on a 4-year, $114 million extension of his own.
The timing matters. Downs is set to play out the final year of his rookie deal in 2026, and 2025 was, by his own numbers, the worst season of his career, 58 catches, 566 yards, 4 touchdowns. A jump in target share doesn't fix bad quarterback play or a shaky offensive line on its own, but it's the clearest runway he's had to reset his market value before hitting free agency.
The Athletic's read on Downs pegs him as a legit 2026 breakout candidate now that the target competition is gone.
Worth noting: the report frames Downs as the presumptive No. 2 behind Pierce, not the No. 1, which is a slightly different story than the pure vacated-targets math suggests. Pierce's ankle recovery from March surgery is the wild card, if he's slow to return, Downs could be the de facto lead option out of the gate regardless of what the depth chart says on paper.
None of this happens in a vacuum, either. A rookie-deal receiver getting more volume in a contract year is the kind of story the Colts front office has to watch closely, extend him now off uncertain 2025 tape, or let him play for a bigger number if the targets translate into production. For now, Downs gets the opportunity. What he does with it decides whether Indy's receiver room overhaul looks smart or just thin.