Christmas morning.
That was the feeling among Colts players and staff on Tuesday upon finding out Sauce Gardner would be joining their cornerback room. Defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson and pass game coordinator/secondary coach Chris Hewitt both found themselves jumping for joy at the gift they just received, and Gardner seems like the kind of gift that will just keep on giving.
Gardner joins the defensive ranks alongside cornerbacks Kenny Moore II and Jaylon Jones, as well as safeties Nick Cross and Cam Bynum. Jones, in his first game back from injured reserve against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, held Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf to just two catches for six total yards and looked just like the lockdown cornerback the Colts need him to be.
"I was pleased with what Jaylon did," defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. "Certainly, he's been battling the injuries really the whole offseason and preseason. So, it was really good to get him out there. Did a good job competing. And again, was pleased to see what his effort looked like."
Jones has had to work through multiple hamstring injuries since preseason, but if last week was any indication, he's back to full strength and ready to contribute on a regular basis. Last season, Jones started all 17 games and recorded a career-high 100 tackles; in his three years with the Colts, Jones has appeared in 35 games (27 starts) with two interceptions, 15 pass break-ups and 144 tackles.
And when cornerback Chavarius Ward Sr. returns from injured reserve (the earliest he can do so is in Week 12), the Colts will have two All-Pro cornerbacks on either side of the field in Ward and Gardner, with Kenny Moore II occupying the slot.
"I'm really happy that the organization decided to go in on him," Hewitt said. "It makes us a real formidable force, the trio that we've got with Kenny, Mooney (Ward) and him, we're gonna be pretty tough to handle. So, excited to have him."
Gardner, since entering the NFL in 2022, has firmly taken on the role of No. 1 cornerback for the New York Jets and is used to covering opponents' top receivers. His coverage skills make him one of the top corners in the league – from 2022 through the first nine weeks of 2025 Gardner is the highest-graded cornerback in coverage, per Pro Football Focus, with an grade of 91.8. At 6-foot-3, he's simply hard to get around.
"The guy speaks for himself...a tall guy, long, he's able to match small quick receivers," Hewitt said. "He's able to get his hands on people, good hand-eye coordination. Those are the things that are really, really rare for a guy who's as tall as he is. We have that with both of those guys – Mooney is the same way, able to change direction, stay down low. So those guys are, they're rare."
The Colts are among the top teams in the league in terms of playing press-man coverage this year, and that is where Gardner shines: he's played 382 snaps in press man coverage in his career, per Pro Football Focus, and has been targeted just 52 times and allowed 20 receptions for 274 yards (0.72 yards per coverage snap). Ward has also excelled in man coverage, and when the two are eventually on the field together the possibilities are limitless.
"We're gonna be able to play that matchup game based on how we feel those guys match up against whatever wide receiver," Hewitt said. "Even though both those guys, you know, throughout the league there ain't too many wide receivers that those guys can't match up against. So we are very, very, very fortunate."
"We want to play man, and you want to be able to take away all that space," Hewitt later added. "There's time for you to play zone, but when it comes down to it and you want to get off the field, you got to play man. And so, we want to be that formidable defense and be really good on third down...and (when) you want to win the game, you have to be able to man up and take their game away."
Even just by himself, Gardner clearly brings a great deal of versatility and willingness to do different things. And it's that kind of motivation and competitiveness that has allowed him to fit in so quickly with the rest of the Colts defense.
"He's already one of the guys," Henderson said. "You would think he's been here for a year, been here all season, the way he communicates in the walkthroughs and the way guys talk to him on the field. He's already fitting in and assimilating to being a Colt."
Gardner cleared concussion protocol on Thursday and will play on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
