The Ravens have agreed to terms on a contract for free agent safety Darian Stewart, the team announced today in a press release. It’ll be a one-year deal for the former Ram, who also met with the Panthers earlier this week.
Stewart, 25, was an unrestricted free agent this offseason after spending the first four years of his NFL career in St. Louis. The South Carolina product started six games at strong safety for the Rams in 2013, recording 36 tackles, breaking up five tackles, and recovering a fumble. While Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required) graded his performance as about average, placing him 41st among 86 qualified safeties, he was the highest-ranked safety for the Rams.
Steve Spagnuolo was the head coach in St. Louis in 2011, when Stewart started 13 games for the Rams, so the current Ravens secondary coach likely played a role in bringing the free agent to Baltimore. Stewart represents a less expensive option than James Ihedigbo, who we heard earlier today was no longer on the club’s radar. Still, the Ravens likely won’t want to rely on Stewart as a full-time starter alongside Matt Elam, so the team may target a safety in the draft.