By no means are the Los Angeles Rams desperate for wide receiver help after losing Davante Adams, but the Indianapolis Colts' fire sale could give them a lifeline if they want it. On Wednesday, wide receiver Josh Downs requested a trade from the team, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
With Michael Pittman Jr. now in Pittsburgh and Alec Pierce always injured, Downs is the Colts' top wide receiver. He leads the team with 307 yards on 26 catches, but he appears tired of his situation in Indianapolis. If the Rams want to give him a new home in L.A., they could be a perfect fit.
Downs is a smaller receiver at 5-foot-9 and 171 pounds, but he has good speed (4.48) and is a legitimate weapon in the slot. He'd be a nice complement to Puka Nacua, who
moves all over the formation and lines up on the boundary and in the slot.
What makes Downs a quarterback-friendly receiver is his ability to separate. He's good against zone coverage, but he excels against man coverage where he can use his speed to pull away from defenders and create separation. According to PFF, he has the 10th-most yards of any receiver against man coverage and the 12th-best receiving grade, with zero drops against man.
But wait, it gets better. Downs has experience returning kicks and punts, so he could conceivably help the Rams on special teams, too. And we all know how badly they need to improve in that phase.
In his career, he has 31 punt returns for 292 yards, with a long of 24 yards. Not eye-popping numbers, but the fact that he has experience is encouraging.
It's unclear what the cost would be to acquire him, but he's still on a rookie contract so he won't take up much cap space. And if the Rams don't want to give him a long-term deal, they can let him walk in free agency next year and get a compensatory pick in 2028.
Trading for Downs would be a low-risk, high-reward move for a team that has gotten nothing out of Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington and Tutu Atwell. They've contributed minimally as receivers, outside of one drive where Mumpfield had two big catches against the Broncos.
The Rams don't have a ton of draft capital to trade away but in a season where they want to win a ring, they could keep pushing their chips to the middle of the table.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Colts WR who just requested a trade could be a perfect fit for the Rams
