Sauce Gardner injury: Jets surprisingly rule out star cornerback for Eagles game

The Philadelphia Eagles will not have to face Sauce Gardner in Week 6.

The New York Jets officially downgraded their first-team All-Pro cornerback from questionable to OUT for Sunday afternoon’s game.

Gardner was unexpectedly added to the injury report on Friday with an “illness”designation. He was downgraded with a concussion.

This development is obviously bad news for the Jets, who are already without starting cornerback D.J. Reed. It seemed like Reed had a chance to play this week after missing Week 5 due to a concussion but he was not cleared in time. And then Gardner’s injury came out of nowhere (same thing with Jalen Carter for the Eagles this week, to be fair).

The Jets still have a strong defensive front but Jalen Hurts will certainly be looking to attack a short-handed Jets secondary. Philly’s passing offense has been clicking recently after a slower start to the season. This week could be shaping up to be another step in the right direction.