The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the surprise teams during the 2025 NFL season thus far, with head coach Shane Stiechen molding this team into a legitimate Super Bowl title contender in the AFC.
The Colts are sporting a 7-2 record heading into Week 10’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, which will take place overseas in Germany at Olympic Stadium Berlin. The team hopes to bounce back after the loss to Aaron Rodgers‘ Pittsburgh Steelers, while also potentially seeing what they have with newcomer Sauce Gardner at cornerback, who was acquired ahead of the NFL trade deadline earlier this week.
Sauce Gardner’s Status for Colts Debut Revealed
GettySauce Gardner of the Indianapolis Colts, formerly of the New York Jets.
It’s safe to say that the Colts were the big winners after the NFL trade deadline, with the franchise pulling off a blockbuster trade to acquire Gardner, which will vastly improve the team’s secondary in the second half of the 2025 NFL season.
However, it has been uncertain until now whether the two-time All-Pro corner would be able to make his debut with the Colts due to being in concussion protocol, which was further complicated by the team traveling to Germany for Week 10’s matchup with the Falcons.
According to Mike Chappell of FOX54/CBS4 Sports, Gardner has cleared concussion protocol and is expected to play and start in Sunday’s game in Berlin.
This is great news for the Colts, as they get to see how Gardner transforms their defense right out of the gate, only days after the NFL trade deadline passed.
With the Colts already arguably being a legitimate Super Bowl title contender, Indianapolis improved its chances of coming out on top in the AFC this season with the addition of one of the best corners in the NFL.
It’ll be interesting to see what impact Gardner makes in his first game with the Colts and whether that will result in a bounce-back win for the squad, improving their record to 8-2.
In seven games played with the Jets this season, Gardner recorded six passes defended and 20 total tackles.
Colts Legit Title Contenders After Sauce Gardner Trade?
GettySauce Gardner #1 of the Indianapolis, formerly of the New York Jets.
Before sending shockwaves throughout the league after acquiring Gardner in a deal ahead of the NFL trade deadline, the Colts were widely considered to be one of the best teams in the league this season, with rejuvenated stars Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor leading the way.
Even though it felt like the Colts would eventually come back down to earth and resemble the struggling franchise they’ve been since the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck, Indianapolis has won seven out of its nine games played. It seems to be well on its way to winning the AFC South division title and securing a high seed heading into the NFL playoffs.
The addition of Gardner turns a good team into a potentially great team with Super Bowl aspirations, as they may be able to be as dominant defensively as they already are on the offensive side of the football.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Colts Get Big Update on CB Sauce Gardner After Trade appeared first on Heavy Sports.