Jets CB Sauce Gardner could cover Chiefs TE Travis Kelce in Week 4

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce might have his hands full on the gridiron this Sunday night. New York Jets HC Robert Saleh didn't reveal his team's strategy, but he hinted that CB Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner could be tasked with covering Chiefs TE Travis Kelce in Week 4. He was asked about Gardner potentially covering […]

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor

Sep 29, 2023 11:40 AM EDT

Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce might have his hands full on the gridiron this Sunday night.

New York Jets HC Robert Saleh didn't reveal his team's strategy, but he hinted that CB Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner could be tasked with covering Chiefs TE Travis Kelce in Week 4. He was asked about Gardner potentially covering Kelce during his media availability on Friday with a reference back to Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season when Gardner was tasked with covering another tight end.

"Everything is on the table," Saleh said. "The difference between that situation and this one is that they've got really good receivers, too. I'm not saying Baltimore doesn't have good receivers, they do. But in a situation like this, this Kansas City team is loaded. So there (are) a lot of different players that we have to take care of."

The 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Gardner is considered one of the best young defensive backs in the game. The Jets have rarely had him shadow an offensive player, but they matched him against Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews last year. Gardner held the Pro Bowler to just one reception and had an impressive PBU in the back corner of the end zone against Andrews.

Kelce is a different beast compared to Andrews. He's coming off of an enchanted performance with a seven-reception, 69-yard, and one-touchdown game against the Chicago Bears in Week 3. It remains to be seen how many times Gardner and Kelce will match up, but the two former Cincinnati Bearcats are likely to see a bit of each other throughout the course of the game.