The Indianapolis Colts ruled out slot wide receiver Josh Downs ahead of Sunday's season opener against the Houston Texans, the team announced Friday.
It was always going to be a long shot that Downs would be able to play after not practicing all week. He seems to be making tangible progress but not enough to get him ready for game action.
The second-year receiver initially suffered a high-ankle sprain during training camp when he was surprisingly tackled to the ground by teammate Nick Cross in a 7-on-7 drill.
Head coach Shane Steichen said they wanted to be careful with Downs as he works his way back but was still pleased with the progress.
“Yeah, he's progressing really well. I mean shoot, hopefully sooner than later for sure. But we're just going to hold him this week and see how next week goes," Steichen said.
Downs will be a key part of the offense from the slot. He has a fantastic connection with fellow second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson, and he showed some impressive flashes during his rookie campaign.
While Downs was ruled out, the other player on the practice report this week was kicker Matt Gay.
After undergoing surgery to repair a hernia following the preseason, Gay is listed as questionable for the Week 1 opener. He didn't practice all week so it seems unlikely the Colts will rush him back.
"He's feeling good. He's progressing well, and we'll make that decision when we need to make that decision," Steichen said.
If Gay cannot kick Sunday, the Colts will turn to undrafted rookie free agent Spencer Shrader.
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