Grover Stewart should have a breakout season with the Colts this year
Grover Stewart is an often overlooked defender for the Indianapolis Colts but he should have a breakout season in 2022.
The Indianapolis Colts have a promising defense loaded with stars. When speaking about the defense, people often mention stars like Shaquille Leonard, DeForest Buckner, and Kenny Moore, new additions like Yannick Ngakoue and Stephon Gilmore, and emerging young players like Kwity Paye, Julian Blackmon, and Bobby Okereke. One name that rarely comes up is defensive tackle Grover Stewart.
Stewart is entering his sixth season in the NFL, all with the Colts, and it will be his fourth season as a full-time starter at defensive tackle. Throughout his career, Grover has gradually gotten better but he now enters a season where he could have his most productive year yet.
Throughout training camp, it was clear that Grover Stewart had come back as a more refined version of himself. Showing up in great shape, Stewart has been playing with strength and quickness on the interior defensive line. This was best demonstrated in the joint practice against the Detroit Lions and in Indy’s final preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Against the Lions, Stewart had a one-on-one rep where he just plowed right over former All-Pro center Frank Ragnow. Against the Bucs, Grover made three consecutive plays that opened everyone’s eyes and gave a glimpse of the kind of dominant season that could be coming.
Nate Ollie: "We’re all expecting a great year from Grove to shake the NFL up."
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) August 29, 2022
Grover Stewart: https://t.co/h8VKiVNccX
Grover Stewart is set up to dominate for the Colts
While many in Indianapolis may be aware of what could be coming from Stewart this season, other teams likely aren’t, but, that works in Grover’s favor. Surrounding Stewart on the defensive line is Ngakoue and Buckner, both players that have been to the Pro Bowl, and Paye, a player that everyone is expecting to have a massive second-year breakout.
Opposing offenses will likely key in on those three before they do Stewart. This should give Grover Stewart plenty of opportunities to take advantage of one-on-one matchups. With those matchups, Stewart will be able to display his explosiveness and consistently make the kind of plays he did against the Buccaneers.
Stewart becomes just another promising defensive player for the Colts on what should be an elite defense. If he and the rest of the talented defenders can put it all together, Indianapolis could have a Super Bowl-caliber defense.
