How punt returns became the latest way to get the ball in Josh Downs' hands

INDIANAPOLIS -- Josh Downs was just coming off a high ankle sprain, just getting his groove back as a route runner in the slot, when he came to the Colts coaches with an idea.

He wanted to return punts if they needed someone.

Downs had done this before with the Colts , but only out of pure necessity. It was late last season, and Isaiah McKenzie had been suspended indefinitely. The Colts receiving corps had thinned out, and so they asked the 5-foot-9, 171-pound Downs to fill in for the final four games even though he was just a rookie wide receiver hobbling through a knee injury .

He returned punts at North Carolina, so he knew what to do. He took six back for a 10.5-yard average. But like with the receiving game, the explosion wasn't all there.

But he always believed there was more to him as a return man once that knee healed up. He'd established himself as a slot receiver with a rookie season of 68 catches for 771 yards, and he thought he could multi-task as a second-year player in a way that could get the ball in his hands more often with an offense with a few different mouths to feed.

"I'm tough, so I don't complain about extra touches," Downs said.

"Every time I go out there, I look at the guys at the bench like, 'I'm going to take this one back. " If you get any space on punt returns, you're liable to make a big play.

The Colts gave it a try after their fifth-round pick, rookie wide receiver Anthony Gould, showed a hesitancy to return punts or kicks without a fair catch. They knew it could bring some increased risk of injury to the smallest player on their roster, but the willingness spoke to their desperation as well as their trust in Downs' decision-making.

“I think he has such a natural feel and he can handle that stuff," Colts coach Shane Steichen said. "Obviously, there's discussions that go into that, but he's got a great feel running routes, but he also has a great feel as a punt returner on setting up blocks and getting these explosive plays as a returner."

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In Sunday's 20-17 win over the Titans, Downs showed what he can do. He took four punt returns back for 67 yards. That added crucial field position in a low-scoring game with few big plays and allowed him to rack up 133 all-purpose yards to become the most productive player the Colts had on a day when Jonathan Taylor was out and Michael Pittman Jr. was limited with a back injury.

It's the latest example of how Downs has hit his stride as a second-year player finally past the knee and ankle issues. In the past three games as a receiver, he's racked up 24 catches for 217 yards and two touchdowns. Over a 17-game pace, that would place him at more than 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns.

There's always a risk he gets banged up in either role, and he did fight through a toe injury last week. But his role is only expanding with Pittman as limited as he is on the high-volume, in-breaking routes the Colts need to run to beat zone coverage.

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“He's got a really natural feel for space, what's around him," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. "I think spatial awareness is the fun way to say that. He's just got a great feel for what's around him, who's coming, how fast they're coming, how close they are to him, how he can get around them or work his way past them.

"I'd be lying if I said I'm coaching him a whole lot on that. That is instinctive. That is naturally built into Josh Downs."

The Colts coaching staff has talked about finding new and different ways to get Downs involved, including more down the field. With his ability to return punts paying off, it's not impossible that he could see a kick return after fielding a couple late last season.

But that's less desirable in his eyes.

"If they make me do it, I will," Downs said with a laugh. "I'll let Tyler Goodson handle that."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: How punt returns became the latest way to get the ball in Josh Downs' hands