3 years too late
Sauce Gardner ? They traded 2 firsts away to get him, it’s part of what got him fired. So what would it take to get him now that they will be sellers at the deadline?
Ward is more likely.
I’d love to pry Walley from them, even if he doesn’t fit all that well with our current roster makeup (another small guy). But that seems unlikely.
I doubt they’ll sling young cheap guys prior to the new GM being signed.
https://x.com/colts365/status/2112145098293076425?s=46
Just a random colts fan but Ward for a 5/6th sounds good to me. He’d function like a rental though. We’re not paying the 31 year old version of him 17m.
We would inherit 7.8m for the rest of the year so that might be an issue.
Hmm, Nelson for a 2nd and 3rd… Same draft class as Frank so a little alarming, and already 30, but yowza. When I trade for guys from other teams, I trade for bargains or superstars, and he fits the bill on the latter.
Walder’s cornerback rankings below. Has Ward at 38 if I counted right. More good CB2 than 1 but having a fringe CB1 for 5th-ish seems like something worthwhile. Press man has been his forte from what I understand. Provided we’d cut him in the offseason it’s not too dissimilar from our Za’Darius Smith move.
Yeah, it’s close to what I’d do too. Certainly an option. Though frankly, given what they paid Sauce, I’d be pretty shocked if they were able to get a 2nd for him, given how bad he’s been.
From Walder’s ranking. So P1 is grading until the ball is released. I assume it’s just positioning based since he is data guy. Don’t think he’s grading the job done altering releases etc. P2 is from release through play end. Or through the end of the pass reception/incompletion/event. Don’t know if it is a reflection of rack prevention as well.
So according to Walder, who is seemingly quite smart and well respected in the data community, in 2026 Sauce is pretty much the same guy until the throw and then the absolute worst in the league thereafter.
Being that in two of our spotty performances against the pass it was a lack of ball production that did us in (IMO), I can’t think of a worse idea than acquiring Sauce. Even forgetting about financial and draft compensation costs. Dude is in the depths of some serious cornerback yips it seems.
Yeah I wouldn’t go after Sauce this year either. Even if he doesn’t cost much in draft comp, he costs too much in contract. But down the line, if he keeps struggling, I can see bringing him back home. You know how much CB play can vary year over year. And he is coming off a pretty awful injury.
I’ve brought up Jackson bc of cost but I would strongly prefer the Ward type stylistically. I just didn’t think he’d be available. It just makes so much more sense for us to go for a bump and run virtuoso then an off man/zone read and react type. It fits our ethos, it matches what others do best and there isn’t the same slow and potential never occurring onboarding in which you are waiting for communication and chemistry to catch on.
I’m not saying he’s toast forever. Stingley is going through some things too. It’s just the nature of the position. But I agree that is a story for a later day. Need a bandaid that actually bandages.
I would 100% try and swindle Sauce from them. His value is as low as ever. Kid has clearly shown he can be elite, despite his recent struggles. Coming to to his hometown and playing a lot more man coverage could be just what he needs.
offer a 4th is 2027 and a 2nd in 2028.
As a side note to show my bias, I was a huge fan of Sauce in that draft class. If Hutch would’ve went first and we could not trade down, I would have preferred Sauce at 2 of Walker/Thibs.
There were a few. I seem to remember @Thats2 being WAY higher than consensus on him.
I had him third overall and a couple of spots above Stingley, but I also feel that by draft day most of the community had come around similarly. Maybe not quite that high, but top 7-8 everywhere. I was that high on him throughout the process, though.
He was my #2 after Hutch wasnt big on Walker Thibs was #3 for me
I didnt want Willis at all and the overhype of him going #2 was stupid
Sauce is week to week with a calf strain so doubt he’s getting moved anytime soon.
I read this as “weak to weak” and it still worked.