INDIANAPOLIS — The key piece the Colts added at the trade deadline for the stretch run has gone down on the second snap of the team’s game against Houston.
Cornerback Sauce Gardner, who was in on the stop on Houston’s first play of the game, went down away from the play on the team’s second defensive snap with a calf injury. He has been ruled out.
The Indianapolis cornerback was taking on a block and appeared to pull up in the middle of the play, limping away from the action and going to the ground.
Once the play was over, doctors examined Gardner on the field and he was helped off the field. Gardner wasn’t able to put any weight on his left leg on the way off the field and into the injury tent.
Gardner emerged from the injury tent fairly quickly, and he was able to limp without any help, but he went immediately into the locker room. Indianapolis announced a few minutes later that Gardner was questionable to return due to the calf injury.
Colts depth chart at cornerback
If Gardner is out for a significant amount of time, Indianapolis would likely pair Charvarius Ward with Jaylon Jones, the former Colts starter who entered the game immediately after Gardner’s injury.
Indianapolis gave up two first-round picks and 2024 second-round wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to get Gardner at the trade deadline, intent on assembling the kind of secondary that could play man-to-man against almost any wide receiver. With Gardner out, the Colts will have to make adjustments.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
