Commanders at the deadline: Josh Downs makes sense, and Washington should have called on Quenton Nelson

The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. ET, and the team doing the most business so far is the one that beat Washington 30-13 in Week 4.

The Indianapolis Colts are 2-5, fired general manager Chris Ballard on Oct. 19 and spent Tuesday selling. They sent defensive lineman DeForest Buckner to San Francisco for a 2027 fourth-round pick and guard Quenton Nelson to Seattle for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth, per ESPN. More deals are expected, with Jonathan Taylor, nose tackle Grover Stewart and wide receiver Josh Downs drawing interest, ESPN's Stephen Holder reported.

Washington (1-4-1) needs help at exactly those two spots, receiver and the offensive line. The Commanders put Terry McLaurin on injured reserve Wednesday with a season-ending patellar tendon injury, and their line has allowed 14 sacks in six games. Over the Cap lists Washington with about $25.5 million in cap space.

Yes, call about Josh Downs

Downs asked the Colts for a trade Wednesday, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. He leads Indianapolis with 307 receiving yards on 26 catches through seven games, and he's on the last year of his rookie deal at about $3.9 million. That makes him a 2027 free agent, and it makes him cheap.

Without McLaurin, Washington's receivers are Stefon Diggs, Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown and rookie Antonio Williams, with Jaylin Lane on IR after ankle surgery. Downs is a slot receiver who wins underneath, which is the kind of target that makes life easier for Jayden Daniels behind a shaky line. Fowler reports that multiple teams have interest and that Downs would probably welcome a move to Kansas City, so Washington would have to outbid someone. For a receiver on an expiring $3.9 million deal, a mid-round pick is worth it, especially if the Commanders can extend him after the season.

No outlet has reported that Washington has called. It should.

Should they have gone after Quenton Nelson?

Yes. Seattle got a Pro Bowl guard for a third and a fifth, and Washington had the cap room to absorb what was left of his $16 million salary. The Packers, Bears and Eagles were also interested, per ESPN, and Nelson's input mattered, so it isn't clear Washington could have landed him. But at that price, the Commanders should have been in the room.

There are reasons for caution. Nelson is in the last year of his contract, and ESPN's Seth Walder notes that his pass-block and run-block win rates have slipped this season. A rental guard does not fix a 1-4-1 team. Still, the line is the problem Dan Quinn keeps pointing to. After the loss at San Francisco, Quinn called the line's play "below the standard we have set for ourself."

Other line help on the market

Nelson's price gives Washington a benchmark for the linemen still on ESPN's list of trade candidates:

• Cesar Ruiz, guard, Saints. ESPN's analysts list Washington as a fit. Fowler gives a trade about a 25% chance.
• Jackson Powers-Johnson, guard/center, Raiders. He was benched in Week 6, and Fowler says a Day 3 pick swap might get it done.
• Wyatt Teller, guard, Texans. ESPN's Dan Graziano calls him "potentially available." Houston's Braden Smith, a tackle, is also on ESPN's honorable-mention list.
• Christian Haynes, guard. Seattle waived the 2024 third-round pick Tuesday after acquiring Nelson, even though Haynes had started its last five games. If he is still available, a claim costs nothing but a roster spot.

The Eagles' Landon Dickerson is also on the list, but a deal inside the NFC East is unlikely.

How's Laremy Tunsil?

Still out, with no return date. Tunsil tore his triceps in practice on Aug. 8 and went on injured reserve on Aug. 31. He has missed all six games, and Brandon Coleman has started at left tackle. A team story last week said Tunsil is still receiving treatment. Washington did not designate him to return on Wednesday, when it opened the practice window for defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton. Triceps tears usually take four to seven months, so even a late-season return is uncertain.

That's why the line is the bigger need. Even if Tunsil returns in December, Washington needs a guard now.

Buyers or sellers?

General manager Adam Peters said on 106.7 The Fan on Oct. 19 that the team was "actively making calls" and wouldn't call itself buyers or sellers, adding that "the give up part, that ain't happening." That was before the loss at San Francisco and McLaurin's injury.

Washington hosts Philadelphia on Sunday night and the Rams on Nov. 8, two days before the deadline. If those go badly, the questions shift to Daron Payne, whom ESPN's Fowler ranks No. 6 on his list of trade candidates. For now, a cheap call on Downs and a real look at a guard are the moves that make sense.