Jets HC Robert Saleh compares Sauce Gardner to Richard Sherman

Gardner and other first-year pros were at the team's facility Friday morning for the start of rookie minicamp, and second-year head coach Robert Saleh interestingly noted that his new defensive back is similar to former All-Pro Richard Sherman as it pertains to breaking things down on football fields. 

Saleh served as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers during Sherman's three seasons with that organization. 

"You do see it on tape, talking, quizzing, watching film with the guy," Saleh said of Gardner, according to Phillip Martinez of SNY. "You can see that he’s an outside-the-box thinker, he can see, he’s got great vision of the field, he’s a tremendous communicator, can diagnose a play before it ever snaps. 

"Again, I’m not comparing, but just being with Sherm, I mean the guy knew the play as soon as they broke the huddle…So, Sauce has a tremendous mental makeup to him that allows him to see the game differently than what most players can." 

Per Mark Lane of Texans Wire/USA Today, Gardner surrendered zero touchdowns featuring in the Cincinnati secondary from 2019 through the 2021 campaign. The 21-year-old said on Friday he couldn't reveal the "little cheat code" he uses when lined up before snaps. 

"Everyone says [look at] the waist so I’ll keep it there, at the waist," Gardner remarked. "I have something different that I look at. I don’t want the other receivers to see that and try to do stuff differently."

Also on Friday, Saleh vowed players will only be pushed so hard during the rookie minicamp in an attempt to avoid needless injuries at this early stage of their overall introductions to the pro game.