Getty New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner during the 2023 preseason.
The New York Jets and cornerback Sauce Gardner have been a match made in heaven ever since the rising star was drafted in 2022.
One major brand does have the Jets beat, however, because there is no more perfect match than “Sauce” and sports bar and restaurant franchise Buffalo Wild Wings — who the NYJ defensive back has teamed up with once again ahead of the 2023 campaign. In case you missed it, Gardner even went “undercover” as a waiter at a BWW restaurant in a recent social media promotion that dropped on YouTube and Instagram on August 29.
As a new server named “D’Roy” — a play on his reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year status — Gardner trolled guests and patrons with a disguised look and some lighthearted fun, and you can see why he’s known as such a great trash talker on the field. The video was a huge success, with nearly 10,000 likes on Instagram and over 2,600 views on YouTube so far — although one family nearly caught the NFL athlete in the act.
Featured within, Gardner’s “Sauce Sauce” BBQ sauce will be available for a limited time during football season. Buffalo Wild Wings describes the specially branded sauce as “the perfect combination of smoky-sweet and spicy BBQ.” Perfect to try while watching the Jets on Monday Night Football versus the Buffalo Bills.
Jets’ Sauce Gardner Looking to Build on Rookie Season
Earlier this spring, Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich talked about how Gardner is “hungry” to build on a rare All-Pro rookie season.
Senior defensive assistant and cornerbacks coach Tony Oden echoed that sentiment during a June 21 interview with the Official Jets Podcast and Eric Allen. “I keep telling him, people think they know what he is, they think they’ve seen how good he can be, but they have no idea yet. We just scratching the surface,” Oden stated at the time.
As talented as Gardner is, Oden spent a lot of the Q&A praising the young man behind the player.
“If the man is right, the football is going to be right,” Oden explained. “If you get the right person, and he is right on the field and off the field, the football is going to fall in line. It was important for us [to get to know Gardner during the pre-draft process], as it is for all coaches.”
“It was very important to me to get to know him as a human,” the NYJ coach added, noting that Gardner “checks all those boxes.”
As for what’s next, Oden believes that “the sky’s the limit” for the 23-year-old CB, but it goes without saying that the work’s not done. “There [are] so many other things that we can work on… if he continues to trend and put the work in — that he is doing, that we expect him to do — there’s going to be a little something extra in there,” he predicted.
Oden concluded that Gardner will “continue to grow his game” in year two. “Learning football, splits, formations, situational things, getting stronger, [utilizing] more tools,” the veteran coach listed, pointing out that there are plenty of areas “Sauce” can still improve.
Jets CB D.J. Reed Says 2023 NYJ Defense Can Be Like ’85-’86 Bears or Seahawks’ Legion of Boom
Gardner’s partner in crime is cornerback D.J. Reed Jr., an NFL veteran despite his young age of 26 years old. The team leader made headlines on September 4, voicing that he believes the Jets defense can resemble some of the greatest units this league has ever seen in 2023.
“I’m very confident,” Reed told reporters via Zoom. “I think we have the potential to be the best defense in the NFL. Honestly, I think we can be historical, not just the best defense in the league, but I think we can be a historical defense like the ‘85-‘86 [Chicago] Bears and the LOB [Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom] in 2013. I think we can be that dominant if we just put all the things together.”
“I think we can have an historical defense like the ’85, ’86 Bears, like the L.O.B. in 2013… If everyone plays up to their potential, I think the sky’s the limit for us.”
– DJ Reed
It was a bold statement from Reed, but not a totally farfetched one. The Jets defense ranked fourth in points allowed in 2022, and that was with a 29th-ranked offense keeping them on the field for long periods, setting up them up with bad field position and generally holding them back.
Imagine what the same group can do with Aaron Rodgers moving the ball? The best part, this unit has arguably gotten better over the offseason.
Not only are Gardner, Jermaine Johnson II, Micheal Clemons, Michael Carter II, Tony Adams, Jamien Sherwood, Quincy Williams and Bryce Huff another year older, but the Jets also added key veterans like Al Woods, Quinton Jefferson and Adrian Amos — as well as another first-round draft pick in Will McDonald IV.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense will test this confident group in Week 1. We’ll see if they’ll live up to Reed’s lofty expectations, or fall short of their 2022 progress.