The idea of trading for three-time First-Team All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner was to shore up a weakness in the Indianapolis Colts' defensive backfield, but the move was also meant to express a vote of confidence in Daniel Jones and the Colts' hopeful playoff pursuit.
That was all before everything fell apart, because Jones was in the process of leading the Colts in their division and on a playoff path at the time of the trade. Jones would eventually get injured, and Indy's season crashed and burned not long after. The trade for Gardner, however, was still a solid move by Colts GM Chris Ballard with the right intentions, despite the poor ending.