Colts insider picks which roster move will have biggest impact in 2026

Of the roster moves made by the Indianapolis Colts, which one will have the biggest impact in 2026?

This was the question that ESPN Colts‘ beat reporter Stephen Holder recently answered. However, rather than focusing on this offseason specifically, Holder went back a bit further to last year’s NFL trade deadline,

“The Colts are expecting a belated boost from the much-debated 2025 trade that landed All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner,” Holder wrote. “This season, Gardner seems motivated, openly saying he expects to make All-Pro again. If he does, the Colts’ defense will benefit greatly.”

“The Colts are expecting a belated boost from the much-debated 2025 trade that landed All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner,” Holder wrote. “This season, Gardner seems motivated, openly saying he expects to make All-Pro again. If he does, the Colts’ defense will benefit greatly.”

A calf injury limited Gardner to only four games in a Colts uniform, but he was able to showcase the impact that he can have. In those games, Gardner allowed a completion rate of 54%, giving up just 7.3 yards per catch, with three pass breakups.

Gardner has the ability to lock down half of the football field with his presence in coverage. Beyond filling his own column on the stat sheet with interceptions and pass breakups, Gardner allows defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to call much more aggressive games.

Gardner’s ability to travel with an opponent’s top wideout also provides Anarumo with additional flexibility as he builds out his weekly game plans.

As Gardner detailed during offseason programs, he is hoping to be tested by opposing quarterbacks in his first full season with the Colts.

“As a corner, we want those accolades,” Gardner said, via Locked on Colts. “We want those statistics. We want picks. We want PBUs. We want all those things. So I used to think that way like my first couple of years in the league, but it’s like I want more now. I want to make plays on the ball. A lot more plays. So that’s why I said I want quarterbacks to look at me and be like, ‘Oh yeah. Let me go at him real quick, just to see something real quick.'”

“As a corner, we want those accolades,” Gardner said, via Locked on Colts. “We want those statistics. We want picks. We want PBUs. We want all those things. So I used to think that way like my first couple of years in the league, but it’s like I want more now. I want to make plays on the ball. A lot more plays. So that’s why I said I want quarterbacks to look at me and be like, ‘Oh yeah. Let me go at him real quick, just to see something real quick.'”

The Colts sent two first-round picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell to the New York Jets for Gardner.