Broncos Reach Deal with S Darian Stewart
By Dan Armelli
With Rahim Moore signing a deal with the Houston Texans, the Broncos needed some help at free safety. They answered by agreeing to terms with former Baltimore Ravens safety Darian Stewart.
It’s still unknown how much his contract will be worth. Stewart spent last year in Baltimore, with Gary Kubiak, making an even $1 million.
Stewart started his career as an undrafted free agent signee in 2010 out of South Carolina. He spent his first four years with the St. Louis Rams playing in 54 games with 19 starts at both safety positions. He then signed with the Ravens, playing all 16 games with 14 starts, again at both safety spots. He also started for the Ravens in both of their playoff games in 2014, recording an interception against Pittsburgh in the Wild Card round.
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In his five-year career, he’s tallied up 189 total tackles, four forced fumbles, and two interceptions (one for a touchdown).
Stewart will be 27 years old once the 2015 season starts. As stated, he’s played both safety roles, but it’s assumed he’ll just take Moore’s position at safety.
Pro Football Reference had a 3.0 grade for Stewart last year, including 2.8 in run defense and -1.1 in pass coverage.
Those are more like strong safety numbers, but any kind of statistics should be taken with a grain of salt, they’re just a piece of the puzzle.
Regardless, judging by the conference call Stewart held, he sounds like a very confident player.
Darian starts out right away talking about hungry he is and the chip on his shoulder. Worked into this league the hard way.
— Spano (@BrandonSpano) March 13, 2015
That last quote is pretty telling, for both his and the Broncos’ philosophy right now. Even if Stewart doesn’t turn out to be a great signing, the Broncos have three capable corners, two of which are Pro Bowlers, one of which is arguably the best corner in the league.
The Broncos know this, John Elway knows this. I think Elway went in with the mindset knowing they didn’t need a stud at the free safety position because of the great corners they have on the defense. And that’s not to slight Stewart either. He could very well turn into a great player. But because of how the roster is constructed, he won’t have as much responsibility, relatively speaking.