Indianapolis Colts rookie wide receiver Josh Downs is expected to have a solid role in the offseason Year 1, but those plans are on hold for now as he deals with a knee injury.
It isn’t clear how severe the injury is for the third-round pick, but it was enough to keep him off the field during the first week of OTAs. Head coach Shane Steichen didn’t seem to think it was a major ailment.
“Josh Downs has a little bit of a knee issue – nothing major though. I’ll leave it at that,” Steichen told the media Thursday.
Downs, the No. 79 overall pick, is expected to compete for the starting slot receiver role with veteran Isaiah McKenzie, who was brought in on a one-year deal from free agency this offseason.
Downs brings a great deal of shifty route running, reliable hands, and a dawg mentality at the catch point that should help fellow rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson improve in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field, which is where he struggled most in college.
The Colts still have seven OTA sessions and a full minicamp left of the offseason workout program so we’ll see if Downs will be back at any point for those practices.
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