The Indianapolis Colts drafted wide receiver Josh Downs in the third round to play a specific role in Shane Steichen's offense. That particular role is starting to take form early in the 2023 season.
Josh Downs is one of the smaller pass catchers in the league, standing in at just 5'10" and weighing around 180 pounds. Despite this smaller frame, Downs is a specialist that knows how to do one thing at a high level; get open.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Downs has created 3.6 yards of separation per route run this season (easily the best in the Colts' receiving core). The rookie may only have seven receptions for 67 yards through two weeks, but he is getting open when it counts.
Downs has five catches for 59 yards on third down for the Colts, with four of those receptions converting for a new first down (the other one came up just inches short of the line to gain). The Colts, and Shane Steichen, are slowly beginning to trust Downs as the quick-win player to rely on during this money downs.
Last year, Steichen had DeVonta Smith act as this role for the Eagles. Smith, like Downs, is a slimmer receiver that simply understands how to create space in isolated situations. The number one way Steichen would create these situations for Smith, and now Downs, is through empty personnel.
Empty personnel is truth serum for an NFL defense. The offense is showing their hand by not having a running back aligned in the backfield so, in turn, the defense has to show their hand as well (to account for the passing threats). This is where a quick-win wide receiver is so valuable for an offense.
The weakside number two receiver in empty will almost always get a favorable match-up. Whether it is a rotated down safety or a linebacker, this receiver is the prime target in quick-hitting empty formation throws. In Philadelphia, DeVonta Smith was the weakside number two player. In Indy this season, that player has been Josh Downs.
Here are a few clips of Downs running option routes from that spot this season. The first clip in the compilation below is Smith running the exact same route from the same formation. Steichen clearly sees a lot of Smith's game in what the Colts' rookie wideout can do:
Josh Downs may not be trusted in the same capacity that DeVonta Smith was in Philly last season, but Shane Steichen clearly sees a similarity between the two in the short passing game.
If you compare a few of Downs' early catches this season to routes run by Smith in 2022, you will see a ton of similarities. Actually, this next playcall below is one ripped right out of the Eagles' 2022 playbook.
This play is a variation of empty personnel where the running back starts out wide and then orbit motions around the formation to give the quarterback a pre-snap defensive read. This isolates the preferred underneath target (Josh Downs/DeVonta Smith in this case) on the weakside of the play.
This play design has a vertical element with the strongside two and strongside three receivers running crossing routes, but the isolated hitch to the backside is an easy way to gain cheap yards. Smith excelled on this play last season and the Colts already have Josh Downs in that same role this year:
The Colts' main plan of attack when passing on third down this year has been to isolate Josh Downs in an advantageous position. They are accomplishing this by either working him in favorable positions in empty or by muddying the defensive waters so he can win the leverage game.
This next clip is a gorgeous design by Shane Steichen, as it plays to Downs' strengths as a pass catcher. The Colts bunch up the three receivers to the play side and release both Michael Pittman Jr and Kylen Granson first to clear space. This leaves Downs one on one with a linebacker shading to the inside.
From this position, Downs is purely playing off of the leverage of the defender. If that defender were face up with him or shading outside, he would break inside for a quick gain. In this particular play though, that defender is playing catch-up from an inside shade.
So, to counter this, Downs simply runs away from his defender to the outside for the first down gain. Iso ball with your best quick-win receiver is extremely vital for Shane Steichen's offense:
Overall, Josh Downs is off to a fantastic start for the Indianapolis Colts. He may not be a player that is going to explode for 100+ yards a game, but the catches that he does contribute to the offense will be among the most important in every outing.
Downs is the money down player for this offense, and the Colts know that they can rely on him for this role. He is already a major piece of the Colts' passing offense and I only expect his contributions to keep growing from here.
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