The Kansas City Chiefs needed to add a wide receiver ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. They got one too, trading for Josh Downs before the clock struck zero. Downs leads the current Chiefs receivers in receiving yards with 354 yards that he compiled in nine games with the Colts before being traded to Kansas City.
Downs and his brother, Cowboys defensive back Caleb Downs, have a podcast they run together called Downs 2 Business. Josh was obviously the center of attention this week considering he's on a new team now. He had plenty to talk about, including how he ended up landing his preferred jersey number of 12 and what he thinks his role might be in Kansas City.
Josh Downs isn't entirely sure what his new role will entail
Chiefs fans hope to see Downs come in and immediately make an impact for this struggling receiving unit. He's leading the team in receiving yards so he clearly can do enough to be a factor but what is he anticipating as far as his role with K.C. is concerned?
"I don’t know exactly what they’re going to ask me to do. But as a receiver, you take pride in beating man coverage and running good routes. So I feel like those are important. Also making a play for your teammates -- blocking good, running a clear-out if you need to. Things like that as well. I don’t know how much or how little -- first week, you don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ll leave that up to them, and then you go from there."
Considering Downs just got to Kansas City late Tuesday night and hasn't practiced much with them, it's hard to expect him to have a huge game in Atlanta. That being said, the state of the receiver room is pretty sad so maybe he can step up and immediately prove that he was worth trading for.
Downs said landing No. 12 wasn't difficult
Downs will wear No. 12 with the Chiefs, which previously belonged to tight end Jared Wiley. So, how did he end up with the number if it belonged to Wiley already?
"In the negotiations, man -- there were no negotiations. We just had a friendly handshake. [Laughs] He was like, “I’d only give you this number personally,” and I was like, “Bro, I appreciate that.” They’ve got a lot of numbers [retired] in this organization, so it was slim pickings. But credit to [Jared] -- showed some love and made it happen for me. So I appreciate it."
Wiley now will wear No. 89. It's good to see that Wiley handed it over without a fight and willingly switched numbers. Downs' previous jersey numbers included No. 11 in college at North Carolina (Jalen Royals wears 11), and then No. 1 and No. 2 with the Colts (Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton have those numbers). And, as Downs mentioned, a lot of numbers are retired, so he didn't have a ton of options.
Downs explained the reason for his social media post about the trade
Downs went viral for posting a GIF of Vince Carter looking emotionally overwhelmed. It obviously showed that he was experiencing a lot of different emotions about the trade and he summed it all up on the podcast.
"The tweet was just basically showing the emotions of the situation. Like I said, it was a lot of emotions going down. Whole life moved in a matter of two hours -- you’ve got to imagine how much goes into that. And coming to a team like this, playing with a quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, is very exciting as well. So that was really the basis of the tweet. It wasn’t throwing salt on anybody."
This makes perfect sense. People forget that these players aren't just chess pieces, they're real human beings with families that now have to pack up and move to another city. Downs said it wasn't throwing salt at the Colts but it was an emotional time for him.
Returning to Georgia for his first game as a Chief
Downs is excited to return to the state of Georgia for his first game as a Chief. He went to high school just half an hour outside of Atlanta so this is a homecoming for him.
"It’s definitely cool. I’m excited to go back home and see the fam and be able to play in Mercedes-Benz [Stadium]. First game with a new team, it’s always different. I’ve got to get used to wearing the red and gold instead of the blue and white. Going back to my high school days wearing that red. But it’ll be fun playing back in Georgia, seeing the fam, and getting a win."
Hearing Downs talk about the trade on this podcast makes it even harder not to be excited about having him join the Chiefs. Let's hope this deal ages well and he makes a positive impact for the Kansas City Chiefs!
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