WESTFIELD, Ind. -- Even on a day the Indianapolis Colts amassed 519 yards of offense, ran 77 plays and played six additional minutes of overtime, you practically needed a microscope to find receiver Josh Downs in the final boxscore.
There was no greater example of the limited opportunities that came Downs' way in 2025 than the Colts' November win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Downs had two pass targets from quarterback Daniel Jones, finishing with one reception for 3 yards. For further perspective, consider that Downs had more punt-return opportunities in the game (three) than he did pass-catching chances.
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"Last year we had a kind of a packed room with a lot of good receivers in there," Downs said on another day in which he established himself as one of the stars of the Colts' ongoing training camp. "... But it teaches you patience, teaches you to just be grateful for what you get. And I just keep working. I was still doing all the stuff I was doing the years before. Just got to just keep going, keep your head down and stay on the grind."
But the 2026 season should not test Downs' patience in a similar fashion. The time for patience has passed.
This is Downs' moment.
"I'm trying to show I'm a really good receiver," Downs said.
He averaged 787 receiving yards and 103 targets in his first two seasons (2023-2024) and seemed to be an ascending player. But myriad factors impacted Downs' usage last season, when he had a career-low 566 yards on 58 receptions: The emergence of rookie tight end Tyler Warren, the role of now-departed receiver Michael Pittman Jr., and the downfield feats of Alec Pierce, who led the NFL in yards per catch, all played a role.
Downs was relegated to a garden-variety slot receiver in an offense that otherwise was employing an aggressive passing game. Accordingly, his per-catch average dropped from 11.3 yards over his first two seasons to 9.8.
But there is an effort underway to reprioritize Downs in 2026. Some of that is happening organically; Pittman has been traded and Pierce is still rehabbing from offseason surgery. But some of it seems more deliberate, with the Colts in recent months emphasizing just how good Downs was in his first two seasons and vowing not to forget.