Colts WR Josh Downs gets candid about facing Cowboys rookie Caleb Downs
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Colts WR Josh Downs gets candid about facing Cowboys rookie Caleb Downs

Scoopico
Scoopico


Josh Downs has a message for his younger brother ahead of their 2026 NFL matchup. He is a fourth-year wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. His brother, Caleb Downs, was the top-rated safety in this year’s draft class. The Dallas Cowboys selected the Ohio State prospect at No. 11.

The Colts are scheduled to host the Cowboys in 2026. Speaking to Indianapolis reporters on Wednesday, Josh said:

“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, all game. I was like, ‘That’s interesting.’ So then he got drafted, I was like, ‘You know we play y’all this year,’ and he got all hyped. It’s all fun and games, but, you know, I gotta let him know he’s the little brother in the situation.”

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Cowboys and Colts fans may remember Trevon and Stefon Diggs, two brothers on opposing teams who never got to face each other in the regular season due to injuries.

Read more: “Caleb Downs was called the ‘Emeka’ of defense”: Bucs star Emeka Egbuka opens up about former Ohio State teammate ahead of Cowboys clash

Read more: “Get that cancer away from our player”: Cowboys fans rip Micah Parsons for interviewing Caleb Downs after NFL draft 2026

Josh Downs’s loyalty to Caleb Downs showed up on draft night

NFL: Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks - Source: ImagnNFL: Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks - Source: Imagn
NFL: Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks – Source: Imagn

Colts star Josh Downs spent the draft evening in April celebrating in Cowboys gear, which his sister called out.

“I was wearing the hat all night. We went out later, and I had a Cowboys hat on,” Downs told Colts media. “But then my sister was like, ‘Don’t you play for the Colts? Why do you still have that on?’ I’m like, ‘I’m just being a brother today, but after that, I got to get rid of it.'”

The Colts traded veteran receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. Josh Downs saw his production dip in 2025, 58 catches for 566 yards, partly because rookie tight end Tyler Warren absorbed a large share of the targets. With Pittman gone, Downs is eyeing a bigger role.