Last season's biggest mid-season trade came when the Indianapolis Colts sent two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the New York Jets for Sauce Gardner. The trade didn't help the Colts, as their season was all but over shortly after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles.
Still, the trade was a hopeful move for the future, and through the first three weeks of this season, it looked good because Gardner looked good. As always, there is no reason to overreact to one week's performance, because Gardner was not good in Week 4 against the Washington Commanders. That said, it's worth talking about.
It's worth talking about, especially considering what Colts head coach Shane Steichen said about Gardner last week after the Colts beat the Houston Texans for their first win of the season. What Gardner did, or didn't do, in Week 4, however, doesn't reflect what Steichen praised his cornerback for, and it raises some questions.
Sauce Gardner's Week 4 failure takes away from Indianapolis Colts' HC Shane Steichen's comments
It may have been Gardner's worst game in a Colts uniform, but if this is the worst he plays this season, let it be early on instead of later on. That's the mindset Gardner should have as he flushes this performance down the drain and looks ahead to Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In the first three games of this season, Gardner looked the part—the player the Colts hoped for when they traded for him last season. Gardner was playing so well that it prompted Steichen to praise him in front of the media last week for his impressive play.
"It's great to have him out there," Shane Steichen said. "He's made some good PBUs here and there. He almost had an interception a few weeks ago. He's been right there in coverage on a lot of these plays, so anytime you can have a guy who can cover like him, it's going to help your team. I think him being in the system too, Year 2 now fully in it, knowing all the details and intricacies that go with it, I think he's only going to get better."
Now, considering that Gardner remains the Colts' best player on defense, Steichen undoubtedly still feels the same way. For the most part, Gardner has played as lockdown as it gets for a top cornerback in the league.
For the most part, Gardner has been what the Colts needed and wanted. That said, a bad game comes to all great players now and then. Gardner just had his first truly bad game.
Gardner allowed four receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown on five targets in coverage against the Commanders. It's the most yards Gardner has allowed in a game in his career with the Colts and the Jets. To make matters worse, the Commanders' offense was depleted at quarterback and wide receiver.
Sticking with Steichen's view that Gardner will only get better, looking past this most recent game might help. It's hard to imagine Gardner replicating this type of performance again, at least not this season.
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