Sauce Gardner Told to Step It Up So Colts' Trade Was Worth the Trouble

The Indianapolis Colts gave up significant assets to acquire Sauce Gardner, and now he has to prove it was worth it.

Jun 10, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) looks on during minicamp at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season, the Indianapolis Colts shocked the NFL world when they sent their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to the New York Jets for All-Pro cornerback, Sauce Gardner.

This was after Indy stormed the NFL and was atop the league, appearing like a true Super Bowl contender. Pairing Gardner with Charvarius Ward looked to be a formula to help make a serious run at the Lombardi Trophy.

However, injuries befell Gardner and the team, resulting in a lackluster 8-9 finish. Now, with year two ahead, Gardner will look to get back to his lockdown ways as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.

For the trade Indy executed to get Gardner to pay off, he'll need to step up, and Pete Prisco at CBS Sports backs this up. In an entry for Gardner on his top 100 players of 2026 list, Prisco gets right to the point on what Gardner needs to do.

"His play wasn't elite last season, but the tools are still there. For what the Colts gave up to get him; two first-round picks; he better be elite this year."

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) breaks up a pass intended for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Prisco saying Gardner's 2025 season 'wasn't elite' might receive criticism, but he isn't wrong.

If we take a gander at Gardner's Pro Football Focus defensive grades, they aren't indicative of a top corner, even if they're still respectable. Below are the numbers he compiled in 11 games played (seven with Jets, four with Colts).

• 76.9 overall
• 75.6 coverage
• 84.5 run defense

Gardner was a demon at stopping the run, but that isn't why Indianapolis traded away two first-rounders and promising young receiver A.D. Mitchell to get him.

Any elite player can have a down season, but with Gardner, there could be legitimate reasons why he wasn't able to put up a superstar performance in 2025.

First, he dealt with concussion issues during his final stint with the Jets. Once he got to Indianapolis, he almost immediately sustained a calf strain that hampered his availability, and likely his on-field performance.

BREAKING: Jets are trading CB Sauce Gardner to the Colts. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/MRT06JrHze

— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2025

The former Defensive Rookie of the Year had to deal with a lower-extremity injury while also adjusting to a new, complex scheme run by Lou Anarumo.

Yes, he's a professional football player, but those are difficult circumstances, even for a player of the caliber of Gardner.

Regardless, the NFL is ruthless with expectations and the timeframe to meet them, and given that Indianapolis essentially gave up the farm for Gardner, he has to get back to being one of the best corners in the league.

If he can, then this Colts secondary could be one of the nastiest in the NFL. Ward, Gardner, and second-year talent Justin Walley are the top cornerbacks.

Behind them are the promising safety duo of Cam Bynum and A.J. Haulcy. If Haulcy can hit the ground running as a rookie, and Walley can step into Kenny Moore II's shoes in the slot, it will be difficult for any offense to move the ball through the air.

While this is a team effort to make this a reality, Gardner is the most important piece to this puzzle. I am a firm believer that the injuries slowed him down last year, but that isn't proven to be true.

Gardner has a year in Anarumo's scheme under his belt, which will make things easier as he enters his second season with the Colts.

He has an incredibly high football IQ, great skills in press coverage, and the prowess to take away any team's top receiver.

Gardner's last few years in the NFL haven't been as crisp as his first two, but as Prisco points out, the tools are still there.

Now, it will be interesting to see if he can reconstruct his efficiency to reflect how much Indianapolis believes in him to help Anarumo's defense reach its full potential.

Sign Up For the Colts Daily Digest - OnSI’s Indianapolis Colts Newsletter