It’s pretty typical for rookies to have to earn their keep in the NFL, even if they come in as a top-five draft pick.
Count Carl Lawson among those that want to see rookies make their mark on the team. One in particular, rookie cornerback and No. 4 overall pick Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner.
Lawson told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that “‘until he plays & balls out then we’ll call him Sauce, but he’s Ahmad right now”.
#Jets DL Carl Lawson (@carllawson55) says CB Ahmad Gardner (@iamSauceGardner) is going to have to EARN the ‘Sauce’ nickname, ‘until he plays & balls out then we’ll call him Sauce, but he’s Ahmad right now’: 🎥 @nflnetwork @TomPelissero #TakeFlight #JetsCamp @GoBearcatsFB pic.twitter.com/gLA8pIaVTG
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) August 7, 2022
Lawson loves the outlook of Gardner, no doubt. But he’s still a rookie in Lawson’s mind and has to earn his stripes.
Of course, if Gardner is anything like he was at Cincinnati, it won’t take very long until Lawson starts calling him “Sauce”, just like the rest of us.
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