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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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The Kansas City Chiefs needed a wide receiver heading into the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday.
After Jacksonville made it clear they weren't going to deal Brian Thomas Jr., and Dallas insisted they wanted to keep George Pickens, Josh Downs became the next best option. Kansas City traded a 2027 fourth- and fifth-round pick to the Colts in exchange for Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick.
Downs is in the final year of his contract and requested a trade out of Indianapolis after the team dealt franchise icons Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner a few weeks ago. The Colts listened to offers, and ultimately felt Kansas City was offering the best package. Just like that, Patrick Mahomes gets another weapon in the offense.
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But on Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after the trade, the Chiefs made an interesting roster move, waiving wide receiver/returning Nikko Remigio. NFL insider Ari Meirov noted how, with Remigio having returned over 100 kicks and punts combined for the Chiefs, the move could signal they intend to use Downs in that role.
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Downs, a former third-round pick in 2023 out of North Carolina, is a speedy slot wide receiver who can separate from defenders in the middle of the field, making him a clean fit next to Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice on the Chiefs' offense. But he also has experience on special teams from his time in Indianapolis.
He returned 32 punts across 56 games with the Colts, totaling 312 return yards, averaging 9.8 yards per return. He also returned two kickoffs for 24 yards as a rookie. His longest punt return was for 24 yards, and his longest kickoff return was for 17 yards. It's not what he's known for, but given the timing of the Remigio release, it would make sense if that's how the Chiefs intend to use him.
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This doesn't mean he won't still be used on offense. The team wouldn't have given up a fourth- and a fifth-round pick just for a special teams player. But it's clear Downs was brought in for more than just to provide Mahomes with another reliable pass catcher.
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