{"id":1569,"section":"sports","section_label":"Sports","url":"https://www.brokenews.co/sports/1569","headline":"Colts to play Downs and Taylor despite Downs' trade request","dek":"Coach Shane Steichen confirmed receiver Josh Downs asked out of Indianapolis but will still suit up Sunday against Jacksonville.","body":"Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen said Thursday that both Josh Downs and Jonathan Taylor will play their normal roles Sunday against the Jaguars, even as trade speculation swirls with 11 days left before the NFL's deadline.\n\nSteichen confirmed a prior ESPN report that Downs, the team's top active wide receiver, has requested a trade. Downs is in a contract year and was selected by Indianapolis in the third round of the 2023 draft.\n\nDespite the request, Steichen said he spoke privately with Downs and expects him to compete at full effort. \"I had a conversation with him – a private conversation. He's a pro. He's practiced this week. He's ready to go,\" Steichen said. \"We're expecting him to play his best on Sunday. I said, 'Hey, you're a professional. You requested a trade, but you're on this football team, and you've got to show...'\"\n\nTaylor, the team's star running back, faces no similar trade request but remains part of the broader speculation around Indianapolis as the deadline approaches. Both players are expected to take the field in Jacksonville as usual.","published_at":"2026-10-30T22:50:35.094986+00:00","source_count":3,"written_from":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Amid trade rumors, request, Colts expect Josh Downs, Jonathan Taylor to play vs Jaguars","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/amid-trade-rumors-request-colts-193115481.html"},{"outlet":"The Athletic","publisher":"The Athletic","title":"Colts wide receiver Josh Downs will play this week despite trade request","url":"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7739573/2026/10/30/colts-josh-downs-will-play-jaguars/"},{"outlet":"Pro Football Talk","publisher":"NBC Sports","title":"Shane Steichen confirms Josh Downs requested a trade and will play Sunday","url":"https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/shane-steichen-confirms-josh-downs-requested-a-trade-and-will-play-sunday"}],"more_coverage":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Does Josh Downs make sense for the Rams?","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/does-josh-downs-sense-rams-131003994.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Shane Steichen confirms Josh Downs requested a trade and will play Sunday","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/shane-steichen-confirms-josh-downs-170831983.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Josh Downs set to play despite request","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/josh-downs-set-play-despite-173145779.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Colts’ Shane Steichen urges Josh Downs to play vs. Jaguars despite trade request rumors","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/colts-shane-steichen-urges-josh-183442373.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Amid trade rumors, request, Colts expect Josh Downs, Jonathan Taylor to play vs Jaguars","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/amid-trade-rumors-request-colts-193115722.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Giants should check the price on Colts receiver Josh Downs","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/giants-check-price-colts-receiver-214100877.html"}],"image":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/lo/mysterio/api/feaf56fa5d12671c05f0bb54c920158da70f71348c1e49b9a1101d30f642f952/lightyear_networkapi/resizefill_w1200_h675%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Findianapolis_star_natl_articles_522%2Ff39ac8c27d318d49cfc45cc34ac7b530.jpg","credit":"Yahoo Sports","width":1200},"embed":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Analysis data is licensed CC BY 4.0. Credit brokenews and link to the story page you took it from. Source headlines, story titles taken from a source headline, and quoted passages remain the property of their publishers and are quoted for comparison, not licensed onward.","terms":"https://www.brokenews.co/about#reuse"}