WESTFIELD, Ind. - Sauce Gardner didn’t need long to remind everyone what kind of presence he brings to the Colts’ secondary.
On the first fully padded practice Monday, Daniel Jones tried Ashton Dulin on a slant that looked like an easy first down. Gardner broke inside, got a hand on the ball with those long arms and knocked it away before briefly striking a pose after the breakup. It was the kind of snap that showed why the Colts spent big to get him - and why Gardner believes this cornerback pairing can be special.
Gardner has spent the offseason saying he wants quarterbacks to challenge him more, but he knows the job description for a shutdown corner comes with a strange frustration: the ball often never comes his way. He talked about that last week on “The Fan Morning Show.”
“You don’t want (your preparation) to just be for nothing,” Gardner said last week on the Indianapolis sports radio program “The Fan Morning Show.” “The whole offseason, you’re working on (things) like, ‘This is what I’mma do.’
… You’re using your imagination like, ‘This is gonna be my pick six.’ … Then you mess around and not even get the (opportunity).
But at the end of the day, I still gotta prepare as if the ball is gonna come (my way) each and every play.”
Gardner’s last interception came in 2024, and with a two-time first-team All-Pro on one side and Charvarius Ward on the other, quarterbacks may have a harder time picking their spots. Ward, a 2023 second-team All-Pro, gives the Colts another corner who can force offenses to think twice, and that could create more chances for Gardner to make plays on the ball.
Gardner backed that belief without hesitation.
“The way we talk, the way we think, and the way we know, we’re the best duo in the world,” Gardner said. “We hold each other accountable. We hold each other to a high standard because we know what we can do.”
The Colts traded two first-round picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell to the New York Jets for Gardner last year, hoping he and Ward would stabilize the secondary and help push the team toward the playoffs. That plan barely got off the ground: the two corners played together in only one full game because Ward dealt with three concussions and Gardner suffered a season-ending calf injury. Now both are healthy, and both are set for their first full season together.
“New team, new uniform,” Gardner said. “Two first-round picks (were) traded for me, so (there’s) a certain standard that I already hold myself up to. That doesn’t really change.”
Monday’s practice also offered a look at the quarterback competition behind Daniel Jones. Jones handled all the first-team reps again and went 5-of-7 as the Colts leaned heavily on the run in their first fully padded session. The more intriguing development came with the backups, where Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson Sr. have split duties evenly since spring but Leonard has recently been getting more second-string work.
That pattern continued Saturday and Monday, though Shane Steichen pushed back on the idea that Leonard has pulled ahead.
“I think that was just the way the reps played out,” Steichen said when asked about Saturday’s practice. “We had a little long-drive drill there, and (Leonard) got that long-drive drill, which got more of the reps. Obviously, if they had rotated the other day, those would’ve been Anthony’s reps.”
DeForest Buckner is still working back from the neck surgery he had on New Year’s Eve last year. The defensive tackle has only taken part in a few 11-on-11 periods during camp, and he sat out those drills again Monday. Still, he said he hopes to get some contact work Tuesday in the Colts’ second padded practice.
Buckner, 32, has been one of the team’s pillars since arriving in a 2020 trade and is entering the final season of a two-year, $46 million deal. He said the recovery carries more weight than just getting back on the field.
“Everybody always has questions,” Buckner said last week. “Is he gonna be as good as he once was?
… I try to stay away from all that stuff in the media, but obviously, I see it. This is a thing for me to prove to myself, and nobody else - that I can still play at a high level.”
There were other notes from camp, too. Seth McGowan is making a push for the backup running back job against 2025 fifth-round pick DJ Giddens. The rookie seventh-rounder has stood out with a decisive, violent style, and Steichen said he was “excited” to see that physical approach in a padded practice.
“He’s not scared of contact, which is awesome at the running back position,” Steichen said. “You need that physicality, and he brings that.”
Hunter Wohler is out with a hamstring injury, Steichen said Monday. The 2025 seventh-round pick had been taking most of the first-team strong safety snaps in camp next to veteran Cam Bynum at free safety, but his absence opened the door for rookie third-round pick A.J.
Haulcy to get more work with the starters. Haulcy had 10 interceptions in college across New Mexico, Houston and LSU, and last year he was named first-team All-SEC.
Another wrinkle came with Bynum handling the green dot and calling the defense. Lou Anarumo said after practice on “The Fan Morning Show” that he was trying it out so he wouldn’t overload the rookies, especially second-round linebacker CJ Allen.
The former Georgia standout is expected to start, but Anarumo said he wants Allen and the rest of the young defenders to play fast and free. The coordinator hasn’t made a final call on who will wear the headset duties, but it’s a spot to watch.
In Other News...
Which Colts Rookies Are Already Pushing For Real Roles
Four practices into training camp, the Colts are already getting a better sense of which rookies might have a path to meaningful snaps this season. CJ Allen has settled back into his starting linebacker spot, while the rest of the first-year group has been spread across the depth chart in a way that gives the staff an early look at both immediate competition and longer-term development. AJ Haulcy is the clearest name to watch on the defensive side, as he is in the mix for a starting safety job even if his snap count has been limited so far.
Elsewhere, the rookie group is filling out a range of roles that tell their own story about camp priorities. Jalen Farmer, Bryce Boettcher, George Gumbs, Caden Curry, Seth McGowan and Deion Burks are all working in different spots, with some pressing for backup jobs and others trying to carve out rotational value. It is still early, but the Colts are already sorting through which newcomers can handle more than just developmental reps, and which ones will need more time before they force the issue. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Just Took A Look At A Receiver With Something To Prove
With the Colts still sorting through a receiver room that lacks much in the way of proven depth, Chase Claypool has become the latest name to get a long look. The former Steelers and Bears wideout recently worked out for Indianapolis, adding another veteran option to a group that could use more size and experience as the team keeps evaluating ways to bolster the passing game.
Claypools path back has been a winding one. He attended the Packers' rookie minicamp on a tryout basis in May, and his career has been stalled by injuries ever since his last action in 2023. For Indianapolis, the intrigue is obvious: a player with Claypools background and physical tools can still stand out in a room where opportunity may be easier to find than in some other places. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Make Abrupt Camp Move After Young Cornerback's Injury
Training camp has already forced a shakeup in the Colts cornerback room. Indianapolis moved on from Cameron Mitchell, waiving the young defender after he was injured during camp, and brought in undrafted rookie Mekhi Rodgers following a recent workout. Mitchell had appeared in eight games for the Colts last season, so the move carries a little more weight than a routine camp transaction.
Rodgers now gets a quick path into the mix after earning his opportunity at rookie minicamp, while the Colts wait to see how Mitchells waiver process plays out. If Mitchell clears, he would land on injured reserve, but for now the bigger picture is simply that Indianapolis needed another healthy body at a spot where every practice rep matters this time of year. [Read more 🡒]