Sauce Gardner officially wins Jets' cornerback battle
This likely won't come as a surprise to anyone, but New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh confirmed Sunday that rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner won the cornerback competition against Bryce Hall and will start opposite D.J. Reed in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.
The two were in close competition at the beginning of training camp, but as it wore on, it always felt like Gardner was a step ahead of Hall. The second preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons really tipped the scales in Gardner's favor. The final clue was Gardner getting the start Sunday against the New York Giants as the Jets treated the game as their regular-season dress rehearsal, with Hall and Reed both dealing with injuries. Brandin Echols started Sunday with Gardner.
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Saleh made the announcement during his post-game press conference, which was simply a formality at this point. Hall and Echols will be the backups.
Gardner was selected by the Jets as the fourth overall pick in this year's draft. He played three seasons at Cincinnati where he had 40 total tackles and three interceptions in his final year.