FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Sauce Gardner wanted to set the tone early Tuesday as the Indianapolis Colts prepared to face the New England Patriots in a joint practice. So, before the Colts officially lined up against the reigning AFC champions, Gardner gathered his fellow defensive backs together and delivered a message.
“We’re gonna walk in their s— and take over their s—,” Gardner said. “That’s what we came to do.”
Mere minutes later, Gardner was already trending on X, not because he’d made a highlight-reel play but because he was on the opposite end of one. Gardner has been dominant throughout Colts training camp, but the reality is that when facing his own team, few receivers are on his level. Indy’s top wideout and Gardner’s college teammate at Cincinnati, Alec Pierce, remains sidelined as he recovers from left ankle and heel surgery. So, Tuesday presented a new challenge this summer for Gardner as he finally went up against a true No. 1 receiver: A.J. Brown.
The first rep didn’t go as planned. Gardner slipped during a one-on-one drill against Brown, leading to an easy first-down catch for Brown. The play drew a roar from the home crowd at Gillette Stadium and quickly went viral on social media.
“All this from a 1on1 rep?” Gardner wrote in a now-deleted X post.
Well, yes.
This is the life of a No. 1 cornerback, especially one whom the Colts traded two first-round picks to acquire. It didn’t matter, at least to the social media pundits, that Gardner had an overall solid day with a few pass breakups and sticky coverage on Brown and other Patriot receivers.
Everything he does on the field will always be scrutinized, which, from Gardner’s perspective, is a product of his own success. Perhaps if he hadn’t earned back-to-back first-team All-Pro nods to start his NFL career, the spotlight on his shortcomings — like that initial rep against Brown — wouldn’t be so bright.
“At the beginning of my career, it was a little more tough,” Gardner said recently on The Fan Morning Show. “When you’re in college, like I said, everybody’s like, ‘He’s the underdog. He’s gonna be this. He’s gonna be that.’ And it’s like, all right, when I really become this and that, now it’s like certain positions shift because they didn’t really believe I was gonna be who they say I was gonna be.”
Gardner added that the criticism “comes with the territory” of being a star, but as he’s gotten older and wiser, the bad plays don’t stick with him as much. His goal is to help get the last stop, and that’s exactly what the Colts defense did to cap Tuesday’s practice.
During the final 11-on-11 session, each team’s starting and backup QBs had a chance to lead their units on a 50-yard, game-winning drive with 1:12 on the clock. New England’s Drake Maye was up first. The third-year pro led his team into the red zone, but his last pass was one he wishes he had back. Maye did not target Gardner, who was covering Brown, and instead tried to squeeze a throw into the back of the end zone for receiver DeMario Douglas. Colts free safety Cam Bynum read the pass perfectly and intercepted it in the end zone.
“Me and (Maye) had a little staring contest for like two seconds,” Bynum said. “He ended up throwing it, and (I) was able to go up and get the ball and finish the two-minute (drill). That’s one thing I pride myself on is in the two-minute drill; I gotta be the one to finish it.”
After Bynum snagged the interception, he ran around the sideline while playfully taunting Patriots fans. Fittingly, as Bynum surveyed the crowd, he spotted a Gardner poster and posed with it.
“I came in the league, and I was very successful, and I’m still being successful,” Gardner said on The Fan Morning Show, explaining why he may receive more scrutiny than others at his position. “A lot of people might not like that.”
Another impressive day for Jones
Quarterback Daniel Jones continued his remarkable rehab Tuesday, his first time facing a different team since he ruptured his right Achilles tendon against the Jacksonville Jaguars last December. As usual, Jones showed no signs of ever being injured.
The veteran QB made a number of impressive throws, though the Colts’ offense was noticeably stagnant in the red zone. Save for tight end Tyler Warren and wide receiver Josh Downs, Indy’s pass catchers struggled to get open against the Patriots’ first-string defense that was without two of its top cornerbacks: Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III.
Despite the ups and downs through the air, Jones ended practice on a high note when he took his turn running the two-minute offense. The veteran was 4-of-6 passing, with three first-down throws to Warren, whose last reception put the Colts on the Patriots’ 5-yard line. With four seconds remaining in their end-of-game scenario, Jones connected with Downs for the game-winning score.
“I thought he looked great,” Steichen said of Jones. “He did a lot of good things (Tuesday). We’ll go back and look at the tape, but again, I was really pleased with that two-minute drive. Down seven, gotta go score a touchdown right there at the end of the game, and he led us.”
Steichen praised Warren and Downs for their role in moving the chains, though Downs — who talked a lot of trash to Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones after fooling him coverage for the TD — turned the focus back on his QB. Eight months ago, Downs watched Jones leave Everbank Stadium in a boot after rupturing his right Achilles tendon. On Tuesday, Jones was back commanding the huddle, offering a glimpse of what the Colts can accomplish in 2026.
“The fact that he’s in there is crazy, (but) not crazy,” Downs said. “You expect Daniel to come back, just the type of guy he is. But the fact that he’s playing at his level, and he’s moving the way that he’s moving, he’s able to scramble, he’s able to evade people, it’s pretty amazing to see.”
As Downs wrapped up his post-practice news conference and ducked away from the mics, he was jokingly asked if he had anything nice to say about Maye, his former quarterback at North Carolina. Downs, however, wasn’t too interested in talking about the past.
“Daniel is my quarterback now,” he said through a wry smile. “That’s my guy.”
Other news and notes
• Colts QBs Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson Sr. continued to split the backup reps. They both looked more comfortable running the offense than they have in previous practices. Leonard, who played slightly more reps than Richardson, led the Colts down the field during his final two-minute drill, but he was picked off by Patriots safety John Saunders in the end zone. Richardson did not get the chance to lead a two-minute drive.
Richardson, however, will start the first half of Thursday’s preseason opener against the Patriots, and Leonard will start the second half, per Steichen. They’ll flip-flop for the Colts’ second preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. Jones will not play in the preseason, according to Steichen. The coach said it wasn’t worth the risk with Jones still recovering from his Achilles injury.
• Reserve tight end Will Mallory had a strong practice. The 2023 fifth-round pick made several downfield catches to move the chains.
• Patriots backup QB Tommy DeVito connected with receiver Mack Hollins for a 50-yard TD on the first play of his two-minute drive. Hollins beat Colts cornerback Mekhi Blackmon in coverage.
• Blake Grupe and Spencer Shrader each went 3-of-4 on field goal attempts Tuesday; Grupe is now 30-of-34 on kicks in training camp, while Shrader is 23-of-34.
• Colts running back Jonathan Taylor struggled to find holes in the Patriots’ defense early, but he eventually broke off a few impressive runs, including a roughly 20-yard TD.
Injury updates
• Rookie linebacker CJ Allen and second-year running back DJ Giddens remained out due to hamstring injuries.
• Downs (groin), safety Hunter Wohler (hamstring) and receiver Laquon Treadwell (hamstring) all returned to practice.
• Although Pierce remains sidelined, he strapped on his cleats Tuesday and went through a series of individual drills with a team trainer.
• Cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. did not make the trip to New England due to “back pain and irritation,” per GM Chris Ballard. There is no timeline for his return.
