The Colts are putting out word to the rest of the league that if you want to trade for wide receiver Josh Downs, you’ll need to beat an offer of a fourth-round pick.
Indianapolis has told other teams that it received an offer of a fourth for Downs, according to ESPN.
Downs has asked the Colts to trade him, and the Colts would seem likely to be willing to grant that request, given that he’s in the final year of his rookie contract and they have already traded Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner and have had trade talks about other players.
Downs was a third-round pick in 2023 and leads the Colts with 330 receiving yards this season.
The Colts could also try to trade wide receiver Keenan Allen, who’s second on the team with 325 receiving yards this season, as they attempt to move on from a miserable 2026 season and start to focus on building for 2027 and beyond.
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Before Week 8, the Vikings had been linked to Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. After Week 8, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones became a potentially more attractive target for the Vikings.
With the trade deadline less than three days away, why not both?
The performance of quarterback Kyler Murray in the 19-15 loss to the Lions made the passing game a front-burner issue for the Vikings. But the running game remains not good enough.
In Detroit, running back Jordan Mason had eight carries for 20 yards. Running back Aaron Jones had five carries for 22 yards.
A package deal could allow the Colts to get the first-round pick they won’t get by trading Taylor alone. And perhaps the Colts could get another pick or two, perhaps contingent on the playing time and/or performance of either or both players.
Regardless, with Minnesota previously linked to Taylor and currently linked to Jones, the Colts trading both to the same team could get Indianapolis something they won’t get by trading Taylor and Jones to two different teams — a first-round pick.
The Cowboys placed outside linebacker Malachi Lawrence on injured reserve, the team announced Saturday.
Lawrence injured his ankle in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals, and coach Brian Schottenheimer had announced the rookie would miss multiple weeks.
Lawrence will miss at least four games on IR.
The first-round pick has 13 tackles, a sack and three quarterback hits, while playing 41 percent of the defensive snaps.
In a corresponding move, the Cowboys activated outside linebacker Marist Liufau from injured reserve. Liufau broke his forearm in the preseason finale. He returned to practice Oct. 22.
Cowboys defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard, who is in his 21-day return-to-practice window, will remain on injured reserve. He has a calf injury but had full practices all week.
The Cowboys also announced they elevated wide receiver Jordan Hudson and tight end James Mitchell from the practice squad.
Tight ends Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker are questionable to play, and at wide receiver, KaVontae Turpin is out and George Pickens is questionable.
It’s looking more and more like former NFL and NC State quarterback Philip Rivers will be the next coach of the Wolfpack.
Brian Murphy of WRAL has posted video of Rivers’s comments from last night, after the high-school team he coaches exited the playoffs in Alabama.
Rivers confirmed that he recently interviewed for the job, which became open two weeks ago when Dan Doeren was fired in his 14th season at NC State. Rivers immediately became a candidate. By last weekend, Rivers reportedly emerged as the focus.
Since then, the Wolfpack also interviewed former NFL and NC State quarterback Russell Wilson.
“We’ll see what the future holds,” Rivers said, adding that he plans to “take it one day at a time.”
If he goes, it will end his tenure at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Alabama. He became the head coach in 2021.
“We didn’t have a stadium a few years ago,” Rivers said, turning emotional. “If it were to be the last time out here, shoot, a lot was accomplished.”
If it was the last time for Rivers at St. Michael, it means there will be a first time for him never year at NC State.
The Indianapolis fire sale could indeed extend to the man who was supposed to become a franchise quarterback there.
According to ESPNFL, the Colts have engaged in trade talks this week regarding Daniel Jones, speaking to “multiple teams.”
The precise language of the report identifies only one team as actually talking to the Colts. From the article, the Ravens “were one team to check in on Jones.” The Ravens ultimately struck a deal with the Cardinals for quarterback Jacoby Brissett, whose plunge from No. 1 to No. 3 on the depth chart made it clear to the rest of the league that he was available.
The only other team mentioned by name is the Vikings, and the report points only to "[s]peculation” involving Minnesota. (We’ve been “speculating” about it since the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s loss by the Vikings in Detroit.)
Past ESPNFL reporting on a potential trade for running back Jonathan Taylor ultimately listed five teams as talking to the Colts (Giants, Seahawks, Broncos, Packers, Vikings). The fact that other teams weren’t mentioned as to Jones suggests that, frankly, there may not be other teams.
Really, which current contender would want him? The Vikings are the only potential playoff team that checks the box as possibly needing a starter right now. And only the Vikings and Giants are contenders with which Jones has direct experience. (The Giants wouldn’t want a Jones reunion, and Jones surely wouldn’t want it, either.)
That could change this weekend, obviously. One injury to a starter could alter the dynamics, spurring another contender to pick up the phone and make a push for Jones. The most memorable example of that came 15 years ago, when a broken collarbone to Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell prompted a quick deal for Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, who had decided he didn’t want to play for the team that had drafted him — and who had yet to report.
Three years ago, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins popped an Achilles tendon two days before the deadline, forcing the Vikings to scramble at the deadline to do a deal with the Cardinals for quarterback Josh Dobbs.
Absent a multi-week injury to a starting quarterback on a contender that doesn’t believe its backup can hold down the fort, the Vikings may be the only team that wants Jones at the deadline.
The preferences of Daniel Jones become a factor, too. If (as we firmly believe) he’s not happy that the Colts folded the tents by trading guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner after a 2-5 start that included an overtime loss to the Chiefs and a toe-to-toe battle with the then-unbeaten Vikings, Jones would have a clear interest in hopping to a contender.
The Vikings wanted to keep Jones after the 2024 season. He opted to sign with the Colts in part because he saw a more realistic path to winning the job over 2023 first-rounder Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis than 2024 first-rounder J.J. McCarthy in Minneapolis. If he’s told that a return to Minnesota would include being installed immediately as QB1, he’d surely prefer that to a lost season with the Colts.
Andd Jones has power over this process. Beyond the basic reality that no team wants a starting quarterback who doesn’t want to play for it, the 2027 roster bonus and base salary that become fully guaranteed in March ($10.51 million) are currently guaranteed for injury. The ESPNFL article mentions that Jones could waive the injury guarantee in order to expedite a deal.
The reverse of that (Jones refusing to waive the injury guarantee) means that Jones could block a trade, if avoiding a potential eight-figure guarantee for 2027 is a dealbreaker for his prospective employer.
Our guess? Right now, only the Vikings currently have interest in Jones. And a trade for Jones becomes a very viable possibility if the Vikings lose to the Bills on Monday with Carson Wentz playing quarterback.
Given the possibility that another team will emerge as a competitor to get Jones, it’s also possible that the Vikings have already decided to trade for Jones after Monday night’s game — win or lose — and that the two teams have agreed to keep it under wraps until Week 9 ends.
Either way, if the oft-injured Jones plays on Sunday against the Cowboys and gets injured, that would kill any chance to trade him. That makes it important to monitor Sunday’s game carefully. If the Colts apply a quick hook to Jones, it could mean that he’s already gone.
Kyler Murray or Carson Wentz? Carson Wentz or Kyler Murray?
The answer could be neither.
This week’s apparent soft benching of Murray, who has a hamstring injury that possibly wouldn’t have kept him from playing if the Vikings had beaten the Lions on Sunday, gives Wentz a chance to beat the 6-1 Bills on Monday night. If he pulls it off, Wentz could keep the job for the remainder of the four-game gjallarhorn gauntlet that ends with trips to Wisconsin to play the Packers and Mexico to play the 49ers.
If Wentz fails, the Vikings may mobilize. Immediately.
The Vikings will have roughly 16 hours after Monday night’s game ends to close a deal with another team for a quarterback. On Monday, we made the case for a trade for Colts quarterback Daniel Jones. As the week has unfolded, a variey of indications have emerged that it’s a real possibility.
Jones, who surely is dismayed by the Colts’ decision to prematurely throw in the towel by trading away guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Bucker, would likely welcome the chance to return to a team with which he spent a couple of months in 2024 — and to lead the effort to propel the neo-Purple People Eaters to the postseason.
The other possibility would be to try to bring Kirk Cousins home. That would be more difficult. At 4-4, the Raiders are on the fringes of contention. Win or lose on Sunday at San Francisco, why disrupt something that’s working? Cousins currently ranks third in passing yards with 2,124 and second in touchdown passes with 19. His passer rating of 101.4 is higher than Josh Allen’s.
Even if the Raiders would be inclined to move Cousins and ride with Fernando Mendoza, it would cost far less to get Jones than it would to get Cousins. Especially since the Colts may already be planning to cut Jones before a $4 million roster bonus comes due in March and $6.51 million of his $33.49 million salary becomes fully-guaranteed.
With a new G.M. coming next year, why wouldn’t the Colts want a clean slate? Doing so would wipe out $38 million in non-guaranteed cash for 2027. Trading Jones would result in getting value; cutting Jones would get them nothing.
It may all come down to Monday night. If Minnesota wins, chances are nothing happens. If Minnesota loses, Tuesday could become a very interesting day.
The Colts ruled out cornerback Justin Walley (knee) and linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither (knee) ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cowboys.
Walley injured his knee during the Week 7 game against the Vikings and has not practiced or played since. Davis-Gaither did not practice this week.
Rookie linebacker CJ Allen will wear the green dot, coach Shane Steichen said, with a rotation of other linebackers slotted next to Allen.
The Colts added safety AJ Haulcy (ankle) to the injury report Friday, and he is listed as questionable. He was limited in practice Friday.
Offensive tackle Jalen Travis (thumb/hamstring) is also questionable. Travis was a full participant in practice all week.
The Cowboys ruled out linebacker Malachi Lawrence (ankle) and wide receiver Kavontae Turpin (ribs). Defensive end Jonathan Bullard (calf), tight end Jake Ferguson (ankle), linebacker Marist Liufau (forearm), linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring, back), wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring), cornerback Joey Porter (ankle) and tight end Luke Schoonmaker (groin) are questionable.
Cowboys safety Caleb Downs is set to play against the Colts on Sunday.
Downs moved up to full practice on Friday and has no injury designation for Sunday, which means he’s cleared concussion protocol and will not be sidelined by an ankle injury. Safety P.J. Locke is also without a designation after his own trip through the protocol.
Wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring) remained limited in practice and is listed as questionable. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (ankle), tight end Luke Schoonmaker (groin), tight end Jake Ferguson (ankle), and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring, back) are also listed as questionable, Defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard (calf) and linebacker Marist Liufau (forearm) are both listed as questionable to be activated from injured reserve.
Linebacker Malachi Lawrence (ankle) and wide receiver KaVontae Turpin (ribs) have both been ruled out.
The Cowboys downgraded cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to a limited participant in Thursday’s practice.
Porter, who has had an ankle injury since Week 6, was a full participant on Wednesday.
Porter played less than 50 percent of the defensive snaps in two of the three games he’s played since. He played 36 snaps in Week 6 against the Packers, 51 in Week 7 against the Eagles and 36 in Week 8 against the Cardinals.
The Cowboys added linebacker DeMarvion Overshown to the practice report with back and hamstring injuries. He was limited.
Defensive back Caleb Downs (concussion/ankle) and safety P.J. Locke III (concussion) returned to limited work after missing Wednesday.
Offensive tackle Broderick Jones (personal), outside linebacker Von Miller (rest) and linebacker Dee Winters (calf) were upgraded to full participants. Jones and Miller missed Wednesday’s session, and Winters was limited.
Tight end Jake Ferguson (ankle), outside linebacker Malachi Lawrence (ankle) and wide receiver KaVontae Turpin (ribs) did not practice a second consecutive day.
Wide receiver George Pickens (hamstring), tight end Luke Schoonmaker (groin) and left guard Tyler Smith (ankle) remained limited.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has spent the last two weeks fielding questions about whether he’ll remain with the team and that will come to an end by next Tuesday one way or another.
Taylor will either remain with the Colts through Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET trade deadline or he’ll be dealt to a team that thinks he can help push them over the top this season. Until he’s dealt or the deadline passes, Taylor knows “you’re not going to avoid” the questions he faced one again on Thursday and he knows that he’ll be happy when they stop coming his way.
“No one wants uncertainty,” Taylor said Thursday, via Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. “Until the past couple weeks, it’s kind of been the same thing. But it won’t be until Tuesday where you’ll know exactly what’s going on, you’ll know exactly what the verdict is.”
Taylor played amid the rumors in last week’s loss to the Jaguars and the plan is for him to play against the Cowboys this week. He said he is working to keep his focus on that game because he doesn’t “want external factors creeping in and trying to alter your play,” but that will be a much easier task to accomplish once there’s certainty about where he’ll be after November 10.
