By acquiring 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Gardner at the trade deadline, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, in theory, has the most potent set of cornerbacks in the NFL.
Gardner, currently graded as the 22nd best corner in the league according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), joins Charvarius Ward, who is currently ranked second, behind only Tampa’s Jamel Dean.
Then you have slot corner Kenny Moore at number 13. For good measure, Mekhi Blackmon, the 26-year-old acquired via trade just before the season, is rated as 57th – pretty solid for a likely backup. Oh yeah, and last year’s starter Jaylon Jones just returned to the lineup.
Gardner is clearly a better player than either Blackmon or Jones, but it does seem a little odd that Ballard would give up as much as he did. Two first-round picks and troubled-but-talented receiver AD Mitchell now belong to the Jets. So is there more to read into this deal than simply an attempt to upgrade the cornerback position?
What Indianapolis’ trade for Sauce Gardner says about the Colts’ roster
On the surface, picking up a talent like Gardner seems to express a lack of confidence in both Blackmon and Jones. One of them was likely to start opposite Ward on the perimeter once Ward is cleared to play.
But I have a feeling this move says more about Charvarius Ward and his precarious health situation.
For a cornerback, Ward has been reasonably durable over his eight-year career. He has appeared in 106 NFL games and, when at his best, can be elite. His recent injury was the result of a fluke accident. He ran into teammate Alec Ogletree while doing a backpedal drill in pregame warmups in Week 6. He is currently on the IR and will be eligible to return in another couple of weeks.
That would not seem like a big deal. However, this is the second time Ward has been in concussion protocol this season. He missed Indy’s second game as well. Concussions are tricky things.
Is there any chance that one of the reasons Chris Ballard went out and got the most accomplished corner available for trade is because he has concerns about his own CB1’s ability to stay healthy this season?
A lineup featuring Gardner, Jones, and Moore – with Blackmon waiting in the wings – is still pretty strong. A lot of it depends on how well Jones returns from the injury that cost him the first eight weeks of the season. If he is solid, then the addition of Sauce Gardner means that the Colts can survive even without a player as good as Ward.
In the end, it doesn’t matter what motivated this deal. It is done, and Indianapolis’ defense is better now than it was yesterday. But it is still intriguing to wonder if this deal was not made out of some lack of confidence in players like Jones and Blackmon, but out of concern for Charvarius Ward’s health.
Either way, Chris Ballard has covered his bases about as well as he possibly could, which is the job of a general manager. Now it will be up to the players – whichever ones end up taking the field – to make the move pay off.