Colts WR Josh Downs Aims to Humble Little Brother in Regular Season Matchup Against Dallas Cowboys

With the NFL Schedule set to release later this week on Thursday, May 14th, at 8 PM EST, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs has his eyes set on their upcoming home matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, regardless of which week of the season it is.

Some young players may look at the prospect of playing 'America's Team' based on pure pedigree, but Downs is specifically licking his chops at the potential positional matchup that looms large for him and his immediate family -- a wide receiver versus defensive back matchup that will feature his younger brother and 11th overall pick in the 2026 draft, Caleb Downs.

"Could have been the fifth pick, could have been the first pick, [Caleb Downs] is the best player in the draft." ⭐️

Colts WR Josh Downs feels all the emotions watching his little brother Caleb Downs get drafted to the Dallas Cowboys ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HEUNGOcSvC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 24, 2026

It was a beautiful moment for the Downs family, with Caleb serving as the third installment of his immediate family's road to the NFL. His father, Gary, was an NFL running back from 1994-2001, playing for the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Atlanta Falcons.

The Downs brothers' uncle, Dre' Bly, is also a former NFL veteran, a two-time Pro Bowler, and a one-time Super Bowl Champion during his 11 years in the league.

Caleb Downs fell out of the top 10 due to positional value, but as his older brother expressed following his draft selection, he was widely viewed as one of the best prospects this draft class had to offer.

The two have a brief history as opponents, but this matchup reigns supreme given that the familiar stakes are now at the highest stage possible.

“Yeah, we played in high school. So I feel like this matchup will be even better. Because I remember before he got drafted – not to talk about the Cowboys’ scheme or nothing, but he told me, if he goes to the Cowboys, he's playing nickel. So that's like head-to-head, like, all game. So I was like, that's interesting." Downs explained the prospect of playing his little brother in his first press conference of the offseason, soon after the draft.

"So when he got drafted, I was like, ‘We play y’all this year.’ And he got all hype. It’s all fun and games, but I got to still let him know he's the little brother in the situation.”

Not all wide receivers wind up matching up against each defensive back in a given game, however, as Josh mentioned, it's looking more than likely that he will get his fair share of 1-on-1 matchups against his younger brother. With Josh playing primarily in the slot, Caleb's projected nickel presence will provide lots of opportunity for direct matchups.

Josh Downs' Expanded Role

Josh is expected to play at outside receiver more than ever in this upcoming season, given the absence of longtime key contributor Michael Pittman Jr., as well as Tyler Warren's increased workload across the middle, but there still lies high potential that the two brothers will line up across from one another.

Caleb will immediately slot in as one of the Cowboys' most important contributors on defense, likely becoming a leader of their defensive backfield as early as his rookie season.

As for Josh, his return to normalcy begins this offseason. His quality of play did not fall off this past season, though his production did after rookie tight end Tyler Warren was thrust into a major role.

When asked if this drop-off of sorts frustrated him, Josh admitted that it was tough taking a backseat in the passing games, but he is now focused on a greater opportunity at hand.

“It was a little different. My target share went down a little bit and all that. But at the end of the day, you just got to do what you can with what you get," (Josh) Downs explained.

"And I feel like new year ahead, a lot of new pieces moved around. We don't have AD (Adonai) Mitchell anymore. We don't have Pitt (Michael Pittman Jr.) anymore. So, there's probably more opportunities there for me. So, I'm excited for the new year and to see what happens with it.”

Josh averaged over 100 targets (102.5) in 17 starts across his first two seasons, but his target share dropped to 88 targets in 11 starts last season. His yards per reception also dropped from 11.2 yards across his first two seasons to 9.8 in 2025.

There were almost too many mouths to feed in the passing game with Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, and the ascending talents of Alec Pierce and Tyler Warren. Add in the fact that the Colts were operating at a historical-best efficiency rate with Daniel Jones at the helm for the first half of the season, and it's easy to see how anyone lost targets in the process.

With Pittman Jr. now out of the mix entirely and with nobody set to directly replace him -- outside of an aggregate of players -- Downs is poised to take advantage of the opportunity at hand.

Josh is entering the final year of his rookie contract; therefore, the opportunity to establish himself ahead of his scheduled trip to the open market is a top priority. Thankfully for him, the outlook suggests that he'll once again become a focal point of the offense.

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