Robert Saleh said Sauce Gardner might shadow some pass catchers this season. Who might that be against?

Earlier this week head coach Robert Saleh said that all pro cornerback Sauce Gardner might follow some teams’ best pass catchers regardless of where they line up this season.

As laid out by Gang Green Nation founder John B earlier this week, that might not matter as much as it sounds like it would at face value:

The Jets haven’t usually used Sauce shadowing the other team’s best receiver since they have a strong number two corner in DJ Reed. Given the team’s propensity for playing zone, I am skeptical any change will have a great impact.

It also bears reminding that the New York Jets boast one of the league’s best cornerback trios, which lessens the benefit of having Gardner follow a given pass catcher since cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Michael Carter II are strong defenders in their own right.

I figure Sauce will likely only shadow top pass catchers in weeks where the opposing team has one clear cut best pass catcher. What weeks could that be?

• Week 1: Sept. 9 at San Francisco 49ers: I would think not. Wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel are both strong pass catchers and tight end George Kittle is a pass catching threat in his own right. Given that depth, shadowing one wideout seems like an unnecessary decision.
• Week 2: Sept. 15 at Tennessee Titans: I would think not. Wide receivers Deandre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley are both strong pass catchers. Beyond that, it would be difficult to be sure which wideout would be getting the lion’s share of the targets this early into the season. Ridley joined the Titans in free agency and the tape and tendencies would be limited to one week at this point.
• Week 3: Sept. 19 vs. New England Patriots (TNF): I would think not. The Patriots don’t really have a wideout that would warrant this kind of attention.
• Week 4: Sept. 29 vs. Denver Broncos: I would think not. The Broncos don’t really have a wideout that would warrant this kind of attention.
• Week 5: Oct. 6 at Minnesota Vikings: This one seems like a situation where the Jets could opt to have Sauce travel across the field. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson is perhaps the best in the league, and while Jordan Addison is coming off a good rookie season and TJ Hockenson is a great pass catching tight end, neither is near Justin Jefferson at this point. This could be a case where the Jets opt to have Sauce shadow in order to take away the clear cut most important player on the offense.
• Week 6: Oct. 14 vs. Buffalo Bills: I would think not. The Bills don’t really have a wideout that would warrant this kind of attention after trading away wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
• Week 7: Oct. 20 at Pittsburgh Steelers: I would call this a maybe. On one hand, I’m not sure that wide receiver George Pickens is good enough to warrant the Jets changing their scheme to stop him. On the other, he is a clear notch above the Steelers’ other options, so maybe they opt to shadow Pickens anyway.
• Week 8: Oct. 27 at New England Patriots: I would think not. Same rationale as Week 3.
• Week 9: Oct. 31 vs. Houston Texans (TNF): I would think not. The Texans now boast one of the league’s deepest wide receiver groups after adding wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a group that already had Nico Collins, Noah Brown and Tank Dell. Given the depth of their pass catching options (and how much that system stifled quarterback CJ Stroud in 2023), I would imagine the Jets just opt to keep their system in place.
• Week 10: Nov. 10 at Arizona Cardinals: I would call this a maybe. The Cardinals added wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in round 1 to an otherwise mediocre group. It’s possible by Week 10 that Harrison has established enough himself to warrant a shadowing assignment, but it would take a heck of a rookie campaign to get to that point.
• Week 11: Nov. 17 vs. Indianapolis Colts (SNF): I would call this a maybe. Wide receiver Michael Pittman is rather good, but is he shadow good? I’m not certain. Beyond that, Josh Downs is also pretty good so I’m not sure if a shadow assignment would make sense.
• Week 12: BYE
• Week 13: Dec. 1 vs. Seattle Seahawks: I would think not. The Seahawks have a number of strong wide receiver options, so I would think leaving the system alone would be the preferred option.
• Week 14: Dec. 8 at Miami Dolphins: This one I could see. While wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and Odell Beckham Jr. are good, wide receiver Tyreek Hill is simply a different level from them at this point. Beyond that, their offense runs through Hill, so taking him away would be a big advantage for the Jets.
• Week 15: Dec. 15 at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars have enough depth at wide receiver that I would think not.
• Week 16: Dec. 22 vs. Los Angeles Rams: This one is a tough one. Both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nakua could warrant shadowing, which I would think makes it less likely that either would actually receive it. With that said, I could see the Jets opting to shadow this week, especially if either Kupp or Nakua is hurt.
• Week 17: Dec. 29 at Buffalo Bills: I would think not. See the logic from Week 6.
• Week 18: TBD vs. Miami Dolphins: I would think so. See the logic from Week 14.