Ravens Sign Darian Stewart

Today the Baltimore Ravens announced that they have signed safety Darian Stewart, formerly of the St. Louis Rams, to a one-year contract.

At this point in time the monetary value of the contract is unknown, but it is likely that the contract isn’t for much money. The deal is pending a physical which will occur on Sunday.

Courtesy of ICON SMI

This past season the 25-year old started six games for the St. Louis Rams at strong safety and recorded 36 tackles, one forced fumble and five passes defended.

After going undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft, the Rams signed him as an undrafted free agent out of the University of South Carolina.

By 2011 he was a 13-game starter for St. Louis and he recorded 84 tackles, three sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles, 11 passes defended and he scored one touchdown.

In 2012 he was a backup again like 2010 and only had 10 tackles in 12 games. This past season he regained some of the playing time that he had lost.

According to Pro Football Focus, he was the 41st best safety in the league last season (out of 86). When he was a full-time starter in 2011 he graded as the 83rd best safety out of 87. That season he really struggled un run support.

On special teams, he is an average contributor and will likely see time there this season for the Ravens.

When he was signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent, the Rams’ head coach was Steve Spagnuolo. After spending last season as a Senior Defensive Assistant, Spagnuolo is now the Ravens’ secondary coach. This likely precipitated the move to sign Stewart as Spagnuolo knows him well and clearly likes him.

This offseason the Ravens are looking for a rangy free safety to play next to last year’s first-round pick Matt Elam. Stewart doesn’t fit that mold as he is more of a strong safety and is a better fit as a backup. However, this is a good depth signing as the Ravens needed some depth at safety.