Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs has requested a trade according to ESPN's Stephen Holder, which puts another wide receiver name in the trade market for teams like San Francisco that could potentially be interested in adding a wideout before the trade deadline.
Whether the 49ers are actually interested in making a trade for a pass catcher remains to be seen. Holder did report "multiple teams have expressed interest in trading for Downs," although it's unclear if San Francisco was among the clubs calling about the 25-year-old.
It's easy to make a case for a Downs acquisition for San Francisco. He's a speedy vertical threat who has 224 catches for 2,447 yards and 11 touchdowns across 54 games on an Indianapolis squad that has dealt with
some inconsistency at quarterback during his tenure. The 49ers are banged up at receiver and Downs could make an immediate in the short and intermediate middle of the field where so much of the 49ers' passing game lives.
According to Pro Football Focus, 23 of Dobbs' 26 receptions have come in the short (0-9 yards beyond the line of scrimmage) and intermediate (10-19 yards beyond the line of scrimmage) areas of the field. 13 of those 23 have come in the middle of the field. He's versatile enough to line up in the slot and out wide, and he'd be a strong complement to Mike Evans.
While the 49ers could certainly use some WR help given their injury situation at the position, it's tough to imagine San Francisco pushing chips in for a wide receiver like Downs that could have a robust market.
The 49ers have Evans, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson and De'Zhaun Stribling all due to return at various points after the team's Week 8 bye. It stands to reason the team will view that quartet as a rolling group of WR additions that won't cost the club additional money or draft capital.
Under head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch the 49ers have tended to lean on their in-house talent first. When their pass catching group is even slightly healthier than it was in Week 7, San Francisco has been one of the best offenses in football. That may well be enough to convince them to stay out of the running for Downs.
On the other hand, if the market for Downs doesn't fire up and the soon-to-be free agent is available for a mid-to-late Day 3 draft pick, then the 49ers could and likely would pounce. It doesn't sound like Downs' market is going to be depressed, though, which likely takes San Francisco out of the running for his services.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Josh Downs trade request: Will the 49ers get involved with Colts WR?
