Free agent safety Darian Stewart met with the Colts this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This comes on the heels of a workout for Johnathan Cyprien, so it appears the Colts are in the market for help in the secondary.
Third-year safety Malik Hooker is working his way back from ACL and MCL tears while fellow safety Clayton Geathers is still rehabbing his surgically-repaired knee. At minimum, Stewart could give the Colts some practice field depth. At maximum, the former Pro Bowler could be a tremendous value addition.
The Broncos released Stewart in March in order to save roughly $3.6MM against the cap. Prior to that, the veteran started in nearly all of his 58 games for the Broncos and recorded a forced fumble and a sack in the team’s Super Bowl 50 victory.
Stewart saw some time at cornerback and free safety in ’17, but he played mostly at strong safety last year. He graded out as just the No. 77 ranked safety in the NFL in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus. His 59.6 overall score was a massive step back from his first two seasons in Denver, which included a Pro Bowl nod in 2016.