Former Gamecock safety Stewart finds a home with Broncos on run to Super Bowl

When former South Carolina Gamecock Darian Stewart joined the Baltimore Ravens last season on a one-year contract, he knew it might only be a short stint with the team.

But what he didn’t know is that during his time there he would be making a strong impression on his future head coach while setting up an even better opportunity.

Gary Kubiak spent last season as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator before being hired as head coach of the Denver Broncos in the offseason, and when he surveyed the needs of his new team he didn’t hesitate to make a recommendation to Broncos general manager John Elway.

“I was with D-Stew in Baltimore last year. When I came in, we lost a safety here in Denver that was on the team last year, we were looking for a guy and I told John, ‘You can go watch the tape, John. You evaluate him, but I can tell you he’s a great kid who loves to play. He’s a pro,’” Kubiak said this week. “Fortunately we were able to get him to be a part of our team.”

That good fortune goes both ways.

Stewart has formed a productive safety combo with T.J. Ward while ranking third on the team with 63 total tackles along with 10 passes defended, an interception and a forced fumble for his best numbers since his 2011 season with the St. Louis Rams.

All the while finding a new home with a team that now awaits the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday.

“It’s meant everything. It’s what we all work for,” Stewart said Wednesday during the team’s morning media session.

At South Carolina, Stewart was a three-year starter while playing for the Gamecocks from 2006-09. He went undrafted before signing as a free agent with the St. Louis Rams, where he would spend four seasons. But after tallying a career-high 84 total tackles, 11 passes defended, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a touchdown in his second season there, his production and role began to diminish before rebounding in Baltimore last season.

“I was only there on a one-year stint so I kind of figured it was going to be like that,” Stewart said of his time with the Ravens. “I knew what I was walking into coming in. I just wanted to get a year under my belt where I put in a healthy season.”

It was good enough to draw interest from three teams this offseason. Stewart, who has a house in Charlotte, didn’t mention the other two, but he said he didn’t want to be too close to home so he was looking away from the south.

That’s where his connection with Kubiak paid off.

“The offseason was busy. When Coach Kubiak first signed on here, my agent called me and told me, ‘Denver wanted you to keep them in mind,’” Stewart said. “I didn’t think about coach being out here at the time, but when I thought about it I was like, ‘That could be a really good fit for me.’ I get a chance to play with the man himself, Peyton, and it’s been a great ride. I came here just for this moment, and it’s here now.”

Yes, there is that too. While Peyton Manning hasn’t been quite the same caliber of quarterback as he was earlier in his legendary career, he’s done enough to get the Broncos to the Super Bowl along with what has become one of the best defenses in the league.

Linebackers Von Miller and Demarcus Ware are the faces of that defense while cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. have generated their own buzz this season, but Stewart has fit in very nicely in his first season with the team.

“He’s brought that physicality for us. He’s been laying the hammer on anyone that crosses the field [and provides] great coverage on the tight ends,” Harris said. “It’s great when you can have two guys like T.J. and Stewart. When [opponents] catch that ball, they’re looking for when them boys are going to come after them. They’re laying the smackdown on anyone who catches it.”

After playing 31 regular-season games over the last two seasons, Stewart suffered a scare when he sprained his knee in the Broncos’ AFC Championship win over the New England Patriots.

He couldn’t help but initially fear what that might mean for the Super Bowl, but he was expected to return to practice Wednesday and stated that he will be ready for the game Sunday.

“After it happened that Sunday you kind of get that [uneasy feeling], but I’ve felt a lot better since then and it just gave me that much confidence to know that I’m going to be alright,” he said.

Stewart signed a two-year contract with the Broncos and says he feels “without a doubt” that he’s found a home with the franchise – while maybe proving something along the way.

“That I’m for real, I’m serious, I’m a ball player,” he said to that end. “And whoever gets me gets a steal.”

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Former Gamecock safety Stewart finds a home with Broncos on run to Super Bowl."