The Kansas City Chiefs have a new wide receiver after trading with the Indianapolis Colts to acquire Josh Downs. The fourth-year pro has only been in the building for a day, and he’s already making a strong impression.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes noted Wednesday that Downs was already making progress and showed it during the team’s walkthrough that morning.

“I mean, the entire offense will probably take a couple of weeks, but I think what I’ve learned just from meeting (WR) Josh (Downs) is he’s very intelligent,” Mahomes said. “He has a good feel for playing in the NFL, and their scheme is similar to our scheme. Obviously, verbiage and everything like that, but we can utilize him in his role in his spots but at the end of the day, when you get guys in the building and they’re picking up stuff like we were at walkthrough earlier and he’s picking up stuff quickly, then you can kind of give him more and more. And so, he’s definitely a smart football player, and I think it won’t be a long time until he’s really getting utilized in the offense.”

On Thursday, Kansas City’s offensive coaching staff added to the early praise.

Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy and WR coach Chad O’Shea on Josh Downs

Speaking to media members on Thursday, Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy discussed Downs in depth. Bieniemy noted that a familiar face, along with a defensive-side coach in Kansas City, vouched for the player’s quality.

“I think one thing as far as the culture, he’s getting a feel for that just being around the guys and how we handle and conduct our business,” Bieniemy said. “First of all, he’s an outstanding he’s an outstanding player, but he’s an even better person. I’ve heard a lot of great things about him, not just from coaches around the league, but I mean, Dave Merritt has a very good relationship with the family. I’ve talked to a number of people, had a conversation with a very close friend of mine, the former (Colts) GM Chris Ballard, who spoke rave reviews about the kid, and so I’m looking forward to having this opportunity to work with him, but also looking forward to watching him work.”

That kind of internal endorsement matters when a team makes an in-season trade. The Chiefs didn’t have the luxury of an offseason program or training camp to get to know Downs. Leaning on people who already knew him helped fill in the picture.

Chiefs wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea echoed similar sentiments. O’Shea noted that Downs’ professionalism and work ethic have shown up right away. He also pointed to how quickly Downs has meshed with the team’s wide receiver group. That’s no small thing for a player who just walked into a new locker room midseason.

“Yeah, first it’s great to have Josh (Downs) here with us,” O’Shea said. “(He’s) somebody I’ve always had a great deal of respect for as a player, and then working with him yesterday, it’s really clear how professional he is, and you know, great work ethic. (He) was embraced by our receiver group right away, and it was easy to do that because of the type of person that he is. So, I was very impressed with his first day of work here at the Chiefs.”

How quickly can Josh Downs get up to speed in Andy Reid’s offense?

A big topic after Chiefs HC Andy Reid’s comments on Wednesday has been how quickly Downs can integrate. Reid’s scheme is tough to master, especially for wide receivers. Plenty of talented pass catchers have needed time before they looked comfortable in this system.

According to Bieniemy, the Chiefs have to find a strict balance for Downs heading into Week 10’s game. They want to get him on the field, but they also don’t want to overload a player who has only been with the team for days.

“Well, I mean, with this, you always want to make sure that you’re putting those guys in the best situation so they can go out and be productive,” Bieniemy said. “But on top of that, you want to make sure that you’re being careful as well. You don’t want to overwhelm them too much. But this kid’s a very sharp young man. He’s very sharp. He has a good feel for the game. He’s gonna be all right. He’s blending in pretty damn good.”

As far as Downs’ role in the offense is concerned, Kansas City is making incremental strides. The goal is for the system to adapt to what he does well as much as it is for Downs to adapt to the system. Finding the routes and concepts where he already excels gives the Chiefs a way to use him sooner rather than later.

“Yeah, I think his role is a work in progress,” O’Shea said. “You know, just being here a day, he’s trying to learn the playbook, learn his teammates. So, I do think this is a work in progress. We’re going to see. We know what he does well, and we’re just going to try to fit those things within our system of how to help us, you know, win games on offense. So I’m certainly looking forward to working with him. He’s excited to get to the field today, and every day is going to be some learning for him, just learning the playbook.”

The language barrier for a new Chiefs wide receiver

What players often describe as the toughest part of learning a new system is the language. Every offense has its own terminology, and Reid’s playbook carries plenty of its own.

O’Shea says Downs has the two qualities that make it easy for a player of his caliber to pick up the new terminology. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of connecting the language a player already knows to the new system and its language. A route Downs ran under one name in Indianapolis may look nearly identical in Kansas City, just with a different name.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s always whenever you have a player that’s learning a different language, it’s a process,” O’Shea explained. “The thing that is great about Josh Downs is how intelligent he is, and his work ethic is so good. Those two things allow you to teach this stuff to him in a way in which you hope he can learn it and take some of the things to the field and really help our offense.”

That being said, the real test comes on Sunday. Kansas City will need to decide how much of the playbook Downs can handle against the Falcons. The early returns from his coaches suggest he could be ready for more than fans might expect. How large that role becomes in Week 10, and in the weeks that follow, will speak volumes about Downs.