When you’re a cornerback of Sauce Gardner’s caliber, you typically don’t get many opportunities to take away the football.
Opposing quarterbacks tend to avoid the Indianapolis Colts cornerback whenever possible. Gardner was targeted just 45 times in 2025, allowing only 22 completions for a staggering 48.9% completion rate. The completion rate was a career best for Gardner, tallying nine pass deflections as well.
But Gardner did not record an interception last year and only has three total over the course of his four-year career. To Gardner, that’s unacceptable.
“I don’t even give myself no more excuses no more,” Gardner admitted. “I just be like, ‘Man, if I get two targets, I need two picks.’ … That’s how I think now.”
It can be frustrating for a cornerback not getting many opportunities to effect the game from a ball-production standpoint. Sometimes you can be in the perfect position to make a play, and the ball never comes that way. Gardner recalled this exact scenario from his first game with the Colts last season.
“We had watched the game where we played the Falcons,” Gardner explained. “Drake London basically ran like a little out route and I had looked back, perfect position, the ball didn’t get thrown. There was somebody else in the meeting, who had ran and the ball got thrown and they made a play. I’m like, ‘Dang, I just wish I could have got the ball thrown to me on that specific play.’”
The key will be making those plays when the opportunities do arise. The Colts’ secondary has looked like one of the team’s strengths throughout training camp. The trio of Gardner, Charvarius Ward Sr., and Justin Walley has been sticky in coverage, making things difficult for Indy’s pass catchers.
But for the Colts’ defense to take another step forward, the secondary needs to force more turnovers to get the offense back on the field. The Colts finished tied for 10th in the NFL last season with 21 forced turnovers. Indy wants to be in the top five of that category every year.
Gardner has accepted the challenge head-on and is pushing the rest of the defense to do the same. The leadership that Gardner has displayed all offseason has been impressive, and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo now considers the two-time All-Pro to be amongst the leaders of his defense.
“I think he’s one of the leaders that we have, one of the many leaders,” Anarumo remarked. “That’s the good news. He doesn’t have to stand above anybody else. I think you’re talking about Buck (DeForest Buckner) and Grove (Grover Stewart), the guys that have been here that can lead this defense. Arden Key, who’s played a lot of years in this league, Cam Bynum. So, we have a lot of leaders. He’s in the long line of those, and happy he’s with us.”
Gardner has been backing up his leadership with his play throughout training camp. While he has not secured an interception in team sessions as of yet, completions have been hard to come by when Gardner is in coverage. He uses his length and coverage skills to make a play on the ball seemingly every practice.
Gardner looks poised for a big year in Indy this season. However, for it to be a big year to his standards, the ball production must increase.
“No excuses. Ball gets thrown your way, make a play,” Gardner said. “I don’t care during the season if I had 30 targets, it got to be 30 plays made on the ball. So, that’s what my mind is, and that’s how my mind has changed over the years. And I feel like that’s just a growth mindset, growth mentality.”
If training camp is any indication, Gardner will be making plenty of plays on the ball for Indy this season.
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