Jets CB Sauce Gardner sees room for improvement in Year 2 after standout rookie season
New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner had about as good of a season as any rookie could have hoped for in 2022 but he still believes there’s room to make a jump in Year 2.
“It was pretty cool, you know, like always, you always have something to work on,” Gardner told Jania Clowers of The Detroit News of his rookie season. “I got a lot of things I can work on that’s going to get better coming into my second season. I had a pretty good year.”
As satisfied as he was with his individual performance in his first season, the former Cincinnati star wants to help his teammates shine as well.
The cornerback says he wants to make it to the Super Bowl, but even a winning season would be an improvement for the Jets.
“I want to win a Super Bowl,” Gardner added. “I want to be the best teammate I can be. Not just my personal goals but I just want to be more team-oriented. I just want to be the best teammate I can be to help my team win.”
Gardner wows in first season with Jets
The Jets selected Sauce Gardner with the fourth pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and he’s done nothing but live up to expectations ever since.
He led the NFL in passes defended as a rookie. He notched 20, with two interceptions. Those stats were good enough to make him a first-team All-Pro. He also became the first cornerback to earn defensive rookie of the year since future Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott did so in 1981.
Not completely perfect, Gardner did allow two touchdowns in his rookie campaign, however, he still generated a -28.8 target EPA, second-best among all corners, per Next Gen Stats.
His new teammate and practice opponent Aaron Rodgers had extremely high praise for him and fellow 2022 draftee Garrett Wilson after working with the duo this offseason.
“We’ve got, at some point possibly, the best corner and the best receiver in the NFL,” Rodgers said, via the New York Post. “It’s a legit possibility for those two guys.
“Maybe not this upcoming year — I still think Davante [Adams] is in a league of his own — but those two kids are so talented.”
The Jets are starting training camp earlier than most NFL teams this year. Rookies and veterans report on July 19. The team plays the Browns in the Hall of Fame game on Aug. 3, which kicks off the preseason slate.