Through all of the ups and downs that this 2024 season has provided so far for the Indianapolis Colts, defensive tackle Grover Stewart continues to be a steady force in the middle of that defense.
Stewart’s bread and butter as a defender comes in the run game, where he ranks among the best at his position group.
Stewart will enter Week 11 with the fourth-most solo tackles in the run game, and according to PFF’s metrics, is making those plays at an average of 0.8 yards from the line of scrimmage. Or in short, the ball carrier isn’t going anywhere.
His 22 run-stops–or plays that constitute a loss for the offense, as PFF puts it–are also the fourth-most and he ranks fifth in ESPN’s run-stop rate as well.
However, the run game isn’t the only place that Stewart is leaving his mark. During the offseason, he mentioned wanting to get to the “next level,” which also means getting after the quarterback with regularity.
Through 10 games, Stewart has already tied his career-high in sacks with four–which is currently the most on the team–and his 13 pressures are only nine shy of his current career-high of 22.
With a player of Stewart’s caliber in the middle of the defense, his impact goes beyond the stat sheet. His presence attracts double-teams and his ability to eat up space helps create one-on-one matchups or frees up opportunities for others to shoot gaps and make plays.
Although the Colts find themselves in the midst of a three-game losing streak, the defense has been playing some good football over the last month.
Getting DeForest Buckner back has certainly played a key role in that as have Gus Bradley’s adjustments, but the steady presence of Stewart in the middle of that front continues to pay dividends for the Colts’ defense in a number of ways.