Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - COLTS SQUAD SHOW: Last RIDE with Grove? | Will the Colts Get One Last Solid Season From Their Vet DT

Episode Date: June 10, 2026

Grover Stewart, one of the longest tenured Colts, is on the final year of his contract but can he still be relied upon in the teeth of the Indianapolis defense? The guys talk about Big Grove in the latest edition of their returnee Reviews, analyze the rest of the defensive tackle room, get into the DeForest Buckner health situation (who is also in a contract year), and get into the Colts dodging a bullet with how the L'Jarius Snead situation aged in Tennessee. Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms:  🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/  📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQ  Give the squad a follow on X/Twitter @Schultz975, @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, @allenpinkett, @LockedOnColts, and @ColtsOn_SI, as well on TikTok and Instagram!  Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More  🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/lockedoncolts  Everydayer Club  If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub  Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, Let There Be Goals on FanDuel.Visithttps://FANDUEL.COMto get started now. Square If you’re starting a business, or running one that deserves better tools, Square helps you sell, manage, and grow without slowing down. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://square.com/go/LockedOnNFL. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the Colts Squad Show. I'm Derek Schultz. Unfortunately for my niece, we're talking about Grover, the football player and not the Sesame Street character tonight. Speaking of that Sesame Street character, the monster at the end of the book scared me a lot as a kid. So thank you for bringing that up, Derek. I'm Jake Arthur. Both Grovers are equally as goofy. I'm going to be real with you. I'm Alan Pinkett, former Euler. Have nothing to say about Grover, but my question that we will answer. or hopefully tonight is, is it possible to be overpaid in the NFL? Colts Nation rise up. It's the Colp Squad,

everything Indianapolis Colts every week, covering all the big hits and game-changing plays from the Circle City, the way only the locked-on podcast network can. It's time to squad up. The Colt Squad Joe starts now. Welcome today's episode of the Colts Squad Show, brought you by Fan Duel,

the biggest stage in world soccer is here. Let there be goals on Fandul. Visit Fandul.com to get started now. Once again, I'm Derek Schultz, long-time indie sports talker and sports columnist for the Indianapolis Business Journal. I'm joined by a nerd name legend and longtime NFL running back in Alan Pinkett, along with the Locked on Colts daily host duo of Jake Arthur and Zach Hicks, your first list every day. We are still moving right along here on our returning reviews,

and we go back to the defensive side of the ball tonight, where we focus on, it's weird to think about this. The longest tenure Colts, I think he's tied for that distinction, and Grover Stewart. So we'll talk about him in segment number one. Does he still have it after a, okay, 2025 season, I guess, depending on how you view okay, depending how much of a curve you put that on? In segment number two, we'll talk about what is still, I think, a good,

but a fragile interior offensive line situation, notably with Stewart and Buckner getting up in age, right? We're talking about two guys that are getting into their 30s and sort of once you cross over that threshold, things can deteriorate very quickly. So we'll talk about that. Also, is this the last run for the DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart tag team? You know, ever since that trade in 2020, these two guys have been mainstays right in the middle of the Colts defense and both are entering contract years here in 26. We'll talk about that in segment number three. And then in segment for a name that honestly I had really not thought much about

over the last two years and I'm like oh yeah that guy remember how upset we were about this guy Legerius Sneed has a new team and it's actually his old team and we'll talk about some of the the great reactions I actually want to read some of the reactions from two years ago when the Colts decided

not to trade for him and there was much consternation and meltdowns and all of that on the internet about that so are we're reading some fun with that Are we going to read Jake's tweets? I don't remember. I don't think I care. It's a surprise.

We're not, we're going to protect all of the innocent parties here. We're just going to read the text of some of these tweets. How about that? So we're not actually. There might be some people in the YouTube comments. I don't know that that said some of these things two years ago. We were all pretty peeved about it. You watch out Michigan Wolverines.

We're coming for your Twitter page. I was thought Grove, guys. You know, here's the guy that has been a mainstay with this team. over the last decade or so, you know, a very good player for them in the middle of that defense and a guy that, you know, when you talk about Chris Ballard's best draft fines, and I understand that, you know, it's not one of those, it's not an edge, it's not a wide receiver, it's not necessarily one of the biggest impact positions, but to get Grover Stewart in the back of round four, whatever pick he ended up being, I think he was a fringe top 150 pick,

if I'm not mistaken there. And for a guy that has played for you for a long, long time and basically been a reliable everyday starter, 141 games, 109 starts. He's essentially been a full-time starter since the 2019 season. So, you know, we're going back pretty far, right, when we're talking about 2026. But I think the question here, Zach, is, you know, how much juice is still left in the orange, I guess, when it comes to Grover Stewart. And, you know, if we're planning for this to be his last year,

which for all intents and purposes, it very well could be what the expectations are for him coming up this fall. Yeah, it certainly could be his last season just because, I mean, whenever you're due a new contract in NFL, everything's up in the air, right? Because money is such a valuable thing in this sport and everywhere, obviously. But, you know, when you look at Grover Stewart's career, he's been one of the premier one techs in football the last half decade, you know, nearly a decade, honestly, at this point in the league. but he's just been a really good football player for the team. And he's had some peaks and valleys, but the valleys have always been like above average. You know, the peaks have been the best run stuffing nose tackle in the league

where the valleys have been like average to above average, right? Or I guess suspended that one year that he did get a little bit suspended. But aside from that, he's been an outstanding player for the Colts. And honestly, last year, I know some people have talked about it being like a downseason for him. And while I do think, yes, some of like the run game production took a step back, I thought it was the best he'd ever looked as a past rusher and as a past disruptor as well. I mean, we're talking about with Grover, he, he as a nose tackle, forced two interceptions last year. He got one himself and he punched one up in the air that Lahto Tzu came down with against the Raiders in that one.

So we have our nose tackle forcing turnovers. The Colts last year were the 10th ranked defense in the NFL in Rush EPA against. So, like, he was doing his job for the team. I know there were some really bad moments from run defense this past year, like against the 49ers. But overall, I thought Grover Stewart just turned out another Grover Stewart type season, right? Like, he was steady. He did his job.

The Colts run defense was in the top half of the lead, top 10, my son metrics. And he even added a little bit of, like, he had like three pass breakups and a couple intercept, two interceptions for us, a couple past breakups. He got after the quarterback a little. bit better than he ever really had in his career. And I thought we saw like a different Grover Stewart. So I think personally for me, if you're deciding between Grover and Buckner after the year, I think you're, you have a lot easier path of getting production from Grover than Buckner because Grover doesn't have a major neck injury looming over over him. But it's still the age

that you're looking at here. I will say when it comes to his age, though, nose tackles generally age better than most positions. We've seen guys like Al Woods. always bring up as an example. Al Woods played so long in the NFL and just turned out quality play. We see guys like Dalvin Tomlinson bouncing around the league still. You know, a lot of those guys are able to find spots and just still fill roles, maybe not at the high level of their peaks, but they're able to be better players than most players are at that age.

So I could easily see Grover playing until he's like 36, 37 years old if he wants to in being a steady player, whether it's with the Colts or someone else. So I don't think it's as dire with him as it is with like Buckner's age getting up there, Mooney Ward's age getting up there, right, where those guys are in their 30s and, you know, Buckner and Ward are dealing with major injuries. So I could see like Grover having like a lot more longevity in those guys. So I don't think it has to be Grover's last season. I think you're just always going to get steady play from him regardless.

And I'd like to always have steady players on my team, regardless of what type of era I'm in for the Colts. So my expectations for him are just Grover Stewart. You know, I'm kind of expecting him to be out there, be a well above average run defender, give a little bit in the past game like he did last year, not anything. It'll never be something grand, but getting his hand in some passing windows, getting a couple pressures here and there, and, you know, being a plus impact player on defense. That's kind of what we've come to expect from him. And it would be shocking if that's not what he gives us in 2026.

Yeah, I think statistically in the passing game, most of his marks were like top three in his career when it comes to past breakups, the pressures, like hits, all that stuff. So pretty productive year for him. And he's a guy who will continue to have value

because we see what it looks like without him. You know, Zach mentioned like when he was suspended that one year, if I'm not mistaken, the Colts gave up over 150 yards per game on the ground when Grover was out for that stretch. It was horrifying. It was.

Everybody remembers the exact stretch that you're talking about. The Packers threw 12 passes against them in that game, and they still get up like 20 points and loss because they didn't have to throw in that one with their backup quarterback. That game put Malik Willis on that, like that game earned Malik Willis X amount of money that he just got in Miami. But in the Colts still have not figured out how to give him a reasonable backup. So, like, we just keep having to see Grover put on this grand pedestal.

And I think he continues to meet the mark. I mean, he's still one of the preeminent interior run defenders in the NFL, I feel. And again, you can see when he comes off the field, opponents sense blood in the water and they attack. That has always been the case with Grover and DeForest Buckner as well, but Buckner spent a lot of times on the sideline the last couple of years. I haven't really noticed him taking much of a step back quite yet. Maybe for those who watch him specifically. But it's not gotten to the point where it's super noticeable for me.

I still think he is very much so like a necessary presence there. Zach and I just did our top 12 most important Colts. And I believe I had Grover Stewart ranked up ahead of DeForest Buckner just because of what they could provide at this point. And Zach made a good point about some of interior guys playing longer into their careers. Like the Colts had Al Woods when he was like a million years old. And then you hope to get that out of Grover Stewart as well. I mean, strength is one of the last things to go, really. I feel like your nimbleness, your quickness, your acceleration, all that can go. But Grover is very much a power-based player. And I mean, as, as,

As long as he's still got that and can't get pushed around and can go and kind of eat double teams and occupy space, I think he'll have a spot here with Colts. Well, I just think back to my first couple of years in the league and somebody who was in their 30s just seems so old to me. And of course, now that I'm 62, you know, 32 is just coming out of puberty. But, and I didn't play with many players over the age of 30 when I was in Houston, just because, you know, I guess at that time, health and nutrition and, you know, people taking care of your body, it just wasn't, in the 90s, it just wasn't there to where, you know, somebody in their 30s, I think is comparable to somebody in her 30s. 20s when I was playing. The one thing I'll say is it amazes me that there are measurables and metrics for every single position. But some of the things that a nose tackle does, I don't know how you can measure them.

I mean, is there a metric for tying up a double team? Is there a metric for holding up players so your edge rush? can get to the football. You know, it's just so many things, an offense having to, you know, redo their game plan because they know they can't go up to middle. You know, it's one thing when, you know, you have that threat on the outside

where you've got to change your whole game plan to make sure that guy doesn't get in from the edge. But it's another thing when you can't run the ball. If you can't run the football, then your offense is shot. There's no way you can throw the ball more than you run the ball. At least you shouldn't. I guess in contemporary NFL football, they find ways to throw the ball. And, of course, you know, you can do that little shovel pass thing.

That counts as a pass, too. And, you know, flas and screens that are just taking the place of runs. But I see his value and things that really aren't measurable. And as long as his skills don't diminish, which it doesn't look like it has, then, yeah, he can play another four or five years. And the one thing that happens when you play, because I think about myself as a rookie, then I think about myself in my fifth year,

the knowledge that you have, because look, every year is senior year in the NFL, all right, the people that they are drafting are going to be bigger, stronger, faster. The one thing they don't have is that knowledge up there and him having played so long. There is not a situation that is going to take him by surprise. I mean, he's seen everything. And I'm sure he knows when it's down and distance what to expect. He can probably know just by looking at offensive linemen's hands if it's a run or pass. There's just so many things that you pick up that aren't measurable that makes him be a better player.

And Jake, I like how you talked about, you know, yeah, you can lose your speed. you can lose some acceleration. But you don't lose your strength at 32 years old. In fact, I would argue that 32 is that grown-ass man strength compared to a 25-year-old. Now, a 25-year-old in college to an 18-year-old, I guess would be comparable. But a 25-year-old in the NFL versus a 32-year-old,

you know, that's the dude who, I guess, does the workout that Rocky did in the movies. When everybody else is in the wait room, he's carrying logs in the snow up a hill. You know, so I think that he's in a position where being a veteran really does benefit him because of the knowledge he's acquired and the position he's in, you know, doesn't need him. to have to run a 4-440. But if he can keep tying up that middle, you know, that's invaluable. And you just can't expect a young guy to do what an old trained veteran can do. And I think another thing fortunate for him is he's on a team that values his age and his veteran ship that's not a word but i mean there are plenty of teams that you get to a certain

age and it's no ifs ands ands they got to go and you know i would say 99% of the players in the NFL get fired before they run out of talent uh but in this case i think he's got you know plenty of time to to show his wares and help his defense out yeah and still a guy well respected in that locker room. Every time seemingly the Colts do some sort of a social media video where they're like pulling the players on something or anything that involves food and Grove gets involved, everybody seems to have a good laugh about it. So especially with a locker room that has lost some of those personalities and some of those

voices over the past couple of months. I think he contributes in that way too. The Colts made some additions to the interior of the defensive line this off season, one of whom I know Zach is a fan of. We're going to take a look at the rest of the defensive tackle room when the Colt Squad Show returns next. This portion of the Colt Squad Show brought to you by Fandul. The biggest stage in world soccer is here.

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amped up for the big event that's coming and just international competition in general for the U.S. men's national team. My backup team is Germany. I don't know if that's a surprise given my last name. I love the atmospheres. I love the cultures. I love the differing styles of play. I love the high stakes. I love the drama of it all. You know, obviously it's a much different game than American football, but soccer, especially in this once in every full years, global experience can be a lot of fun and

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Then don't forget to sign up for our everydayer club for ad-free episodes and access to a group chat with Jake, Zach, and the other listeners of Locked on Colts. All you got to do is type of the link in the show notes below or go to Locked on Podcast.com slash everyday or club. That's locked on podcast.com slash everydayer club. So not as much of new as we talked about

with the edge room when we did Leatu Latu as our return to review as we dive into Grover Stewart and take a look at the rest of the defensive tackle room. Obviously, your two stalwarts are still there, right? You got Grove, you got Buck. Rest of the room is very different from, you know, a couple of these

acquisitions in the offseason, Colby Wooden, who came over in the Mayor Franklin trade from the May Packers. You get Derek Nottie, who, you know, I mentioned, you know, Wooden is a guy that that Zach it likes. Not even, maybe not a guy that you like so much. Jerry Tillery, who I know Alan Pinkett likes just because of his LinkedIn profile. Technically still on the team. You still got Adi Tamao as well, at Ibaray, who's starting to really kind of round into form and be a good NFL player too and certainly a top end reserve. It's a room that I still like. I know we're talking about a couple of aging vets in Buckner and Stewart.

But I think overall, Zach, this is a pretty rock-solid group, no? Yeah, the defensive tackle room is really weird because, like, if you look at their four best players on the interior, right, you feel really good about like that three-tech position, right? That position that's not going to be in the nose tackle like we talked about with Grover Stewart, where they're going to be out a little bit wider, mostly over top of the B gap, whether it's out at three-tech, maybe it has like a two-eye or a two-tech in some spots. some other five-man looks, they'll be out as like a four-eye technique, a little bit of shading the inside of the offensive tackle.

But generally, it's going to be over that B gap, right? So it's a little bit more of like a skinnier player, more explosive, pass rush-oriented type of player. You still want them, obviously, for run defense, but that's more of your pass-rusher. And you feel really good about the depth there, right? Like DeForest Buckner, I know he's got the neck injury, but whatever you can get out of DeForest Buckner is going to be a plus for your team.

It's just a question of how much you're going to get out of him at this stage in his career with the injury that he's coming off of. But behind him, yeah, you got Kobe Wooden, who I think played really well last year for the Green Bay Packers. The only question with him is that he played out of position, right? He played down at nose tackle when he's like 280, 280, 20 pounds. Like he can't be playing nose tackle at that size. You can't really hold the interior of the offensive line at that size over top that A gap. But his run defense was really solid, especially early in games before he got worn down. So projecting him to three, tech, I think is a very clean projection.

And I think he's going to be pretty good for the Colts, especially in like an early down role. I think there's a little bit of pass rush upside, but mostly as like an early down guy, at least playing that three tech position. And then as you mentioned there, Derek, like at a Tommy Wada, Abor has been getting better and better every year. Every single year has been an upward climb. And now he's going into a contract year.

And those are the players I really circle, right? On the rookie contract, if you're getting better every year of your rookie contract, and then we get into that contract year, that's when. I start circling guys saying, okay, this could be like a big time, like Alec Pierce last year, right? Like obviously to a different degree because Pierce was a set starter. But those players who have that upward trajectory going into that final fourth year, you know they're going to put their best football on display before they're about to get their big payday. Right.

So I'm expecting really good things from Atatami Wadabori. I think that he's shown a lot of great flashes over the years. I mean, I think if you were to put a highlight package together of the 10 most important, impressive pass rushing, like moments from the defensive line, he'd probably have five of them last season, like really, really high level pass rush wins where he's getting in the backfield and either hitting the quarterback or sacking them. I think that there's a lot of good stuff with him. But the question right now is nose tackle, right? Because you have Grover, who has been healthy for a while and has been a stalwart and showed some good things last year.

But behind him, you really don't have that nose tackle backup. And this has been a consistent issue for Chris Ballard in his tenure with the Colts, right? He has not given a good enough backup behind Grover Stewart. And they put a lot of three tech guys behind Grover thinking that, oh, Taven Brian can play some nose tackle. Oh, even like Neville Gallimore last year, who was adequate at it, but he's not a nose tackle. He's got the size for it, but he plays more like a three tech.

It is hard to find a nose tackle in the NFL. That's why Kobe Wooden was starting a nose tackle for the Packers last year because it is difficult to find a guy with that size and that power and the knowledge on how to plow to two gap, right? How to occupy two gaps at once, how to take on double teams. But there are enough veterans available to where it shouldn't be a situation like this. And I know you can counter that by saying the Colts did sign a guy who's been doing it for a long time who is a veteran, Derek Nottie. But, I mean, there's a reason why you got him for the vet minimum. Like if you go a little bit more than the vet minimum, maybe you can go get a Dayton Jones or someone like that.

right, who's out there still, who has played better football in recent memory than Derek Nottie. So I just hate that we do this every year where I'm here complaining about why we don't have another 320, 330-pound guy who's capable behind Grover Stewart. But it is what it is. Hopefully, Cam Ball or Tim Smith can step up. I expect it to probably be Derek Nottie on week one. So we'll see with that. But I feel really good about the three-tech position in depth, even with Grover Stewart,

or even with DeForest Buckner's injury. I feel really good about Grover Stewart. So kind of answer your question, Derek. I think overall interior defensive line, I feel good. But it's just if anything were to happen to Grover, then I'd be very concerned. I'd almost rather just put wooden back at nose tackle, even though I know there's some concerns with that, just because I think he can do it better than Nottie or some of these other guys. But, you know, hopefully it's not a bridge they have to cross.

Hopefully they don't need a backup to Grover Stewart, like in all sense. And we can really see the depth like work. wonders for the Colts this year. Yeah, I don't I don't think the Colts have any intention of putting wooden there. I think they acknowledge and he acknowledged that I was just out of out of sorts because they traded Kenny Clark at the last minute for Michael Parsons. So they had to have someone play there. And it just so happens that Wooden is a guy who will always say yeah, coach, I can do it. Because I remember I talked to Peter Buchowski from Lockdown Packers after the move. And he's basically said he's just an eager beaver and will is willing to do whatever you know that the coaches tell

him for a little bit more perspective wouldn't put on like 15 to 20 pounds for that role last year he was like 270 275 then they traded clark and he quick as quick as he could bulked up to be around 290 i hope that with the colts he's back around like 280 285 to play like more slimmer i yeah i think that would be a better role for him uh but yeah he He's, like you said, Jake, very much that guy who was like, I guess, I guess I'll put on some weight. Let me go to Arbys and, you know, Wendy's and throw on as much weight as I can. No, I think Loua and Arummo very much recognizes that his best avenue is at three tech. But again, yeah, like we just continue to sit here and say whoever wins the backup one tech, it's going to be a leap of faith.

Like, don't get me wrong. I like the possibility of Tim Smith. and I really like the possibility of Cam Ball. But Cam Ball is a UDFA, and Tim Smith was a six-round pick last year spent his whole rookie year on the practice squad. I don't like just having these vet minimum guys who are security blankets. Like you mentioned, Zach, and they're not even ones really with high upside anymore. Like if you were going to go get Derek Nottie, Jerry Tilleri,

you could have spent an extra million probably and got someone a little more appealing, probably. like there's nothing wrong with making this a strength of your defense like you're allowed to go get someone who's pretty solid you know at 33 years old with grover stewart just the same as you're going to have to ratchet de forest buckner back a little bit you could do that with grover too because like i remember in free agency the last couple years i've been kind of a proponent of going getting like a bj hill from Cincinnati rotate these three old dudes together they all need to take a step back they can keep each other fresh you know what i mean uh but now like Like unless someone really comes out of nowhere and, you know, kind of grabs a decent role behind Grover, he's going to have to play a lot of snaps yet again. So one tech, I'm iffy about, hopeful with a couple guys, but overall, we'll see. Three tech, I feel a lot better. Alan's favorite thing is guys going into contract years. And you got two of them and Tommy and Colby Wooden. And again, Wooden, a whole offseason with a team that has a specific plan for him in the Colts.

They want to see him at 3-Tech. And I was kind of almost joking today, you know, watching practice. Like, now this is not to be disrespectful about Buckner or anything, but who starts more games at 3-Tech this year, Wooden or Buckner? you go and get a guy in wooden who is capable of starting. You don't have to hit this rush meter on DeForest Buckner so quickly. I mean, you have, now you have a little bit of a luxury to let him take as much time as is necessary to get as right as he's going to be before he hits the field. You know, I don't think that means he starts the season on Pup or whatever, but you don't have to rush him. to get to week one if he's not ready, you know.

So I do like the depth of three tech a little bit more. One tech, I wouldn't hate it if they went out and got someone like at preseason roster kind of time that was a more capable player or more proven player than what they've got now. Well, I'm going to start off by saying, Zach, I agree with you. A good nose tackle is very, very hard to find. someone who's big as a house, quick as a cat, and, you know, smart like Einstein. You know, those are just, they're rare finds.

And I remember the biggest guy I ever played against, here's a name from the past that, you know, maybe you will or will not remember. I think Zach will remember him. Dave Butts, I actually ran into him one time and bounced off of him. He was just so big and hard. Butt fumble? No, I actually ended up scoring a touchdown. I ran into him, bounced off and went around the edge,

and scored on a little 16-yard run. I got to look that up tonight now. Yeah, when he was playing for Washington. It was, I want to say it was 1988 against Washington in Houston. But the other thing I'll say is, am satisfied with the depth that they have for a couple of reasons. Number one, I like the fact that they went out and got some vets. They didn't necessarily draft a young kid to have to learn how to play pro ball. They got some pros to come in there and play guys that are battle tested.

The other thing I like about them, and Jake alluded to it, is it's going to be a contract year for you've got their attention. You know, they maybe, maybe should have been out of the league, but the Colts just extended this olive branch. They're going to get everything and more out of these players just because they were given another opportunity to go out and play. And I think, you know, all of them have this vision of, you know, lightning in a bottle or where they fight.

finally get it. And I think there's enough depth there to where the rotation will be such that nobody gets tired. So that's the big thing is, you know, playing a successive number of plays. And, you know, on that eighth play, somebody, you know, runs by you. So I'm happy with the depth. And we'll just have to see how it really turns out. Could this be in 2026 the last ride for Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner together? And could that fact have very little to do with Grove? We'll talk that out when the Colt Squad Show returns next. Support for today's episode comes from our friends at Square,

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And we're back on the Locked-on Colts Squad Show. Appreciate you joining us today alongside former NFLer Alan Pinkett, Jake Arthur, Zach Hicks. I'm Derek Schultz. So this very well could be the last ride for Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner together, both of those guys in contract years. And while our returning review today is supposed to be about Grover Stewart,

I don't think you can have this conversation about, okay, is it their last ride together without focusing on the much more, should I say, rocky situation involving DeForest Buckner and his health. You know, when it comes to the neck issue and, you know, trying to get cleared to be a full go and all of that and his age. and the difference between playing his position and what he's asked to do and Grover Stewart's position and what he's asked to do.

I mean, I think if you were a betting man, the bet would be pretty easy that, yes, this is going to ultimately be the last ride for Stewart and Buckner together this season in Indianapolis. But, Zach, what do you think about, you know, what could happen there as far as, you know, Jake had mentioned maybe it's wooden to start, maybe it's kind of a split thing with Buckner,

or, you know, what are you expecting to see from Stewart and Buckner and maybe that defensive tackle rotation if, in fact, Buckner is held back by some of these health concerns. Yeah, I mean, ultimately, if we're projecting out as of right now, right, there's still a lot of time between now and next off season. And a lot, and I mean, the year can change a lot. I mean, at this time last year, Daniel Jones was a one year, $17 million quarterback. Now he's two years, $88 million quarterback, right? So one year can change a lot in the NFL. But I would say as of right now, predicting, I'd say Grover Stewart's probably 50-50 on being back.

He is still up there in age, but it's so much harder to replace a nose tackle. Nose tackles are also more affordable than a three tech like DeForest Buckner, who even if he barely plays this year, will probably get a pretty hefty contract because he had been an all pro at earlier points in his career. And, you know, he's got the big name value, right? Where Grover Stewart, even at his peak, is probably not going to get the same dollar amount that a DeForest Buckner would get. And then when you look at three tech position, just again, looking aside from Buckner's injuries for a second, they have two young guys that they very much like.

One guy they traded their, you know, their starting linebacker for and Kobe Wooden, they clearly like this guy a lot. And then I had a Tommy Wada Bora, a player that's just been marinating in their system for a year. So if either one of those guys pops off and shows the ability to potentially be a starter down down the line, then I think that they would prefer to go that route than go with a player. who's injured like Buckner. So yeah, I just think ultimately it's probably more likely we see Grover back. I don't really see many avenues for Buckner being back unless this Colts team somehow wins like 11 to 12 games. And Buckner is a big part of that.

And you can get them back on like another one year contract and just, you know, one more ride with them if they're like a good competitive team. But outside of that, I just don't know. I just don't know if there's going to be another avenue for bringing Buckner back. It just doesn't make sense, especially with the neck injury. Like, again, as you get older, neck injuries don't just get better, right? Like, especially when you're going to, where did he go? He went to, like, Africa for, like, STEM.

Yeah, Panama. That's what it was. Yeah, he went to Panama for, like, stem surgery on it or stem work done on it. Like, yeah, like, that's just not going to go away at this point in his career. It's a big red flag. Yeah, it's a big red flag. It's going to be there. So I think this is Buckner's last season with the Colts.

He's been phenomenal for the team since they traded for him. And it's unfortunate. But with Grover, I do think there's an avenue where even if the Colts aren't a playoff team, there's an avenue where he still want to bring him back on like a one-year contract because like nose tackles, the prime for nose tackles is like that 28 to 31 range, right? That's usually the prime we see for nose tackles. So it's a lot harder to draft a nose tackle and say, okay, give us Grover. Even if you draft a nose tackle in like round one, right, or round two, it's hard to say,

okay, go out there and give us what Grover Stewart's been giving us. like you're going to usually wait a couple years for that prime to hit and that might be by the end of their rookie contract. So I think you'd rather just have Grover Stewart back because it's just a plug in play, set it and forget it in terms of like Jake likes to use a lot, set it and forget it type of play right there. Whereas Buckner, you have two young guys behind him, you like, he's got the neck injuries. I could totally see that his scenario next offseason being in the same scenario where Joey Bosa is in right now, right? or Joey Bosa is still a free agent because teams are scared of his injuries, even though he's not probably, like, at the end of his career yet, he might just be more of like that mercenary type player on free agency.

So it's unfortunate, but I do probably see this being the last offseason for Buckner with the Colts, and we'll see ultimately what happens with that. But Grover, I would still be open to bringing him back. Like, it's just hard to find a nose tackle, and I don't expect his play to fall off. So even if the Colts are like an eight or nine win team, I mean, you're going to have some money. I would still probably bring back Rover Stewart. Yeah, I think, unfortunately, health is the big thing here with Buck.

I mean, we don't even know what it's going to look like coming back from the neck. But it is also a pattern lately. Like, he was on IR twice with the neck last year, but also he was on IR with the high ankle sprain last year, you know, in 2024. And he's at issues like with the elbow. And like the guy's been in. Ironman and he's been able to play through a lot of stuff. But at a certain point, as you get older, that stuff is harder to play through. And injuries are just more severe. So I think him not being on the practice field right now clouds a lot of it. Like I'd feel better about it if he was already back.

But I mean, this, this injury, these injuries happened in November and the aggravation was in December. And he's still not back yet. And again, it's a neck injury. It. 33 years old. He's going to be 33 by the time the season's over. Yeah, I think the writing is on the wall that he won't be back. I mean, and it's not just him. Like, this is a team in transition. We don't know if they're going to do any big extensions this year, like they normally do. They usually do one big off-season extension, but everyone might be gone next year. So it's like, do you want to really reinvent? Like, if you wind up cleaning, house, then having re-signed to Forrest Buckner is a weird move to give to a new GM or something.

You know what I mean? So I think you let it ride with Buck. If he stays relatively healthy from this and looks solid and as a guy that can still give you six or seven sacks, then yeah, like, you probably just keep giving him one-year deals until he's done or until that true falloff happens. But between Buckner and Stewart, I mean, they're the same age, essentially. I'd feel more comfortable with Stewart coming back. Not that he hasn't been banged up a little bit too,

but he's been able to play. And he's still playing at a high level, I think. At least minimum is a run defender. We don't know if the positivity in the passing game was just a flash in the pan or, you know, if the guy is finding new ways to be productive. But I think Stewart probably holds a little more value right now. He's at least way less mystery.

Well, the thing that, concerns me. You both talked about it is that neck, you know, a hamstring, a knee, a shoulder, you can get those repaired. A lot of times you can play with a bum knee or a bad shoulder. How many guys have done it? But the neck is a totally different thing, you know, because you hurt your neck. You might not walk. So you have to be concerned. And so I give lots of praise to DeForest for wanting to go through the rehab to get back to a place where he can be competitive in play. And he's definitely another one whose skills haven't diminished. And his knowledge level is such that he can still go out there and make plays.

And just if you had to, you know, draw a picture of. I guess a Thor-like human being, you know, when you look at his size, the height and weight and athleticism, you know, it's one of those you can't help but be impressed by all of that. But that neck, man, it's just there's a few injuries that you can deal with, but that neck is, I don't know, because there's just so many things that can go wrong if you re-injure the neck. There's, and I think really, you know, when you're, when you're, and we've seen players do this, right?

They've gone overseas and guys are trying everything that they can to heal up and get their body right. But as we talked about with earlier when Zach was mentioning it, it's just a big red flag, whatever you have that and you're looking on that. And it's just one of those things that very rarely ends up getting better. And it's, it's disappointing because it's kind of hard. to picture he's been here so long and been such a vocal and leader at the forefront, really from the get-go since coming over here. It's hard to kind of picture the Colts without DeForest Buckner. You know, I think even much more so than Grover Stewart, even though Stewart has technically

played three extra seasons, just because Stewart, from a personality standpoint, right? I just feel like Buck has always sort of been out there in the limelight, if you will, and one of the first guys that people go to as one of the voices of the team, whereas Stewart is a little bit less vocal about that, not to say that he's not vocal at all because he's a great personality too. But you have to wonder what the Colts are going to get out of this season from him. And that's going to be one of the big question marks here entering 2026. Two years ago right now, Colts fans were foaming at the mouth, many of them,

after losing out on a player that they wanted to a division rival. When the Colt Squad Show returns, we'll talk about that player returning to his former team after two disastrous seasons and look back on those reactions in the moment because that's always fun to do. That's next. Welcome back, final time on the Locked on Cold Squad Show. Appreciate you being here. So this was actually more than two years ago. This would have been sometime in a late spring. I actually went back and looked at it this morning as I was prepping for the show.

And this would have been in late March of 2024. As you guys know, the Colts had a glaring cornerback need at that time. This would have been in the days of like, you know, Dallas flowers and that whole ordeal, right? And Ligeria Sneed was out there for the taking from the Kansas City Chiefs. And how involved the Colts were. I'm not so sure. You know, Jake is kind of our resident insider here. Maybe he can speak to some of that for being on the beat two years ago.

I know that they were involved. I don't know how involved that they were. Ultimately, Legerius Cede gets traded to the Tennessee Titans for a couple of draft picks, and then he signs a big contract extension, a four-year, almost $80 million deal. And he ends up playing like a dozen games over two years. Essentially, it's a disaster for him in Nashville. And I saw the news today that he's now returning to Kansas City. And I thought, you know, these things always happen.

and then we react to them in the moment. And then we completely forget about them, right? Like I had not, I'll be totally honest, I had not really thought about the Jerry's need much over the last two years or 26 months or whatever else. But, Zach, first off, I'm sure you remember what I'm talking about. And I'm sure you and Jake had episodes probably on this about how aggressive the Colts could get.

I'm not going to ask you what your take was at the time because that doesn't matter now. But, you know, doesn't this kind of show that sometimes, you know, being aggressive, which you know, you can bang the table and demand that the general manager of the team is really aggressive. Sometimes the best decision is to not do anything at all. And in this case, I think the way that it aged, Chris Bauer did the right thing by not doing anything at all. Now, maybe we're having an episode two years from now. We're talking about, hey, remember that sauce gardener trade? So I want to be careful here. But specifically with Sneed, that age very poorly for a division rival in Tennessee. Yeah, but I mean, like anytime you make a move for a guy on

going on their second contract or going on to their third contract. Like anytime you are making a move to get the privilege to pay somebody, it's a risk, right? Because they've already got four years of wear and tear. Some of these guys have five years of wear and tear on their bodies. And in the NFL, you don't get healthier as you get older. So that's why trading for a guy on a rookie contract is so impossibly hard. And then we see guys going on their second or third contracts getting moved for

what seems like pennies on the dollar sometimes because you're trading for the contract and you're trading for like Ligarius Sneed was like an all pro level corner when he was getting dealt and he went for what a third and some change right i think that's what the ultimate trade package was uh and so every time you do a trade like that it is it is a risk right the sauce gardener trade is a major risk for the Colts right maybe not as big a risk as well it's probably a bigger risk than Sneed was because the Colts stand to lose more right but at least sauce is younger and doesn't have the injury history that that Sneed had and has a little bit more of a proven track record.

But ultimately, it's always going to be a risk. Every free agent signing is a major risk. Every trade is a major risk. I still think ultimately, like from where the Colts were at that season, because I believe, was this the Matt Ryan off season? Or was this the Richardson. 23, I think. 23.

So this was Richardson's first year off season. After his rookie season. Yeah. This was after the rookie season. Okay. 24 then. Was this 24? Yeah.

Yeah, this is March of 24. So this is after Richardson's first year. Okay, so that makes even more sense then because what we're thinking post that 2023 season is that this team was one play away from going to the playoffs. Now they're getting their young quarterback back. And the glaring hole was that their cornerback room stunk. It absolutely stunk. And it did. I mean, that whole season, it was atrocious from start to finish.

So I still think in the time, I still would have made the way. the move for the Colts. Now, I will say this, as someone who knows a lot of Chiefs people, like I work on the KC draft guide alongside the indie draft guide. So I do, Kansas City is one of the few teams around the league that I actually get a little bit of info from. I was told a lot of the time, and Jake and I even talked about on the show a little bit back then, too, that there was a lot of concern about Sneat's neat. And that ended up really becoming an issue with Tennessee. It's why he missed so much time. It's why I know they're saying it's a one year up to $5 million contract versus need, it's a vet minimum contract.

Like, it's every contract is up to $5 million. Like, you know, it's a vet minimum contract in Kansas City because the knee is that bad. And that was always going to be at risk with it. I still think for where the culture were at, if I, like, if I had to go back to where the Colts were at after that first season, getting your young quarterback back, having the cap space, having a team that was one play away from the playoffs, even knowing what I know now, I still think you take the risk, even if it doesn't pay off. because you do have to take risk sometimes.

It's just you get burned by them. That's just how the NFL works. But yeah, like, Ligerious need was always going to be a risk. I mean, there's like, just thinking about it logically, right? You're getting a former like all pro pro bowl level corner for a third. Clearly there's something wrong here, right?

Clearly there's some kind of injury thing that is leading to the price tag going down. Right? So that's why the Colts ultimately pulled out. That's why a lot of teams pulled out in Tennessee took that shot and it didn't work out. But yeah, some people were saying it was the end of the world when they didn't make that move. Obviously, I didn't think it was that bad.

But I still think from where the Colts were at, I think they probably should have taken a shot. But, you know, every move can be reanalyzed in the future as like, was it worth it? Was it not? And look, if you don't win the big ones, probably never worth it, right? You know, your rational take is actually, it's disappointing me because I wanted to spend 15 minutes dunking on the Titans. And now we're not going to get to do that, apparently, Jake. We're just going to have to be rational and guarded and add context to this situation. No, it's a very tightens thing to do.

So, like, I think probably what I don't know that it really got beyond exploratory talks for the Colts. Because keep in mind, Chris Ballard has very good relationships with Andy Reed and Brett Veach. They're not going to be, they're not going to tell him that the knee's not cooked. Chris Ballard, from my knowledge, Chris knows when injuries around the league are legit. And there's been a million instances where fans have learned him to go after someone. And he's like, no, this guy doesn't have a quad or a knee. Like there's reasons why he's not going to go to that point. And then Tennessee, Tennessee marches to the beat of their own drum, man.

Like, how many players do you see the Titans go get that are at the end of the rope? And if you're Sneed, like another thing, like how many times do we see guys go back to their old team? because they're done. Like Darius Lay went back to the Eagles a couple times. Like Brandon Graham kept going back. Like there are just when guys are at the very end of their line, they either go back to the team or coaches they know. Look at Luana Rumo and all these guys who were done

who want to keep going back to him. Like that's your only opportunities left are with connections you already have. You know, and there's a very good chance that Sneed doesn't even make this roster. You know, they had a complete secondary transformation there in Kansas City this year, but they've kind of already made the necessary moves to replace what they lost already. So, yeah, I think it's very telling that, number one, Sneed's time in Tennessee to me is going to be marked by Michael Pittman, Jr. you're scoring game-winning overtime touchdowns on him.

Jonathan Taylor indenting him into the turf there at Nissan Stadium and route to a super impressive touchdown. And then having to go back to Kansas City. So the Colts by not making the move really won that trade. You know what I mean? I believe Pierce also had a game against him where Pierce was targeted three times in the game and had one catch for like 40-something yards and then two DPI straw. Yeah.

I think it was a game that Indy ended up winning late. I think one of them was like a drawn PI down the field that put the Colts in like position to win. So yeah, he he struggled. I mean, the knee was just so bad. It really was. Again, the context here, if they're trading him for a third, there's something wrong. Right? If he was healthy.

He was an all pro that be out here before. And I think they won the Super Bowl. Like he was a big deal. Very similar pedigree to McDuffie that the, the Chiefs just traded. And the Chiefs got way more for McDuffie because McDuffie's healthy. Right? Like, Sneed was not very healthy.

And that's why the Colts pulled out. That's why they weren't really that close to making a deal because Ballard was scared of that knee injury. Because one of the corner knee injuries, as we saw in Tennessee, that could kind of be the end of it for you. Again, the Colts won that trade by not making that trade. But most trades are won when you don't make them in the NFL. Most times the player you're trading for, you're losing.

Like, if you don't win a Super Bowl, you're losing every move you make, right? Technically. Yeah, I mean, when you're giving up draft capital and then giving them a huge extension, especially. Right, right, exactly. Well, I can't contribute to the part of the conversation about the Colts being interested because for all I knew, the Colts were still in Baltimore in 2024. But what I can talk about is, you know, the thing I teased. earlier in the show is, can a player be overpaid in the NFL? I don't know if the, do you believe that the Titans overpaid now that you bring up the potential knee injury or not potential knee was messed up in the Titans in their mind overpaid?

Usually guys don't get overpaid because the NFL has a way of rectifying that thing. They just cut you. All right. Now, I have been happy to see that there are more contracts that have, like, a guaranteed portion that you can receive. Because a hundred years ago when I played, the only guarantee you had was a signing bonus. You know, and guys would try to get long-term contracts. But they figured out that a long-term contract didn't do you any good. Peyton Manning found that out, didn't he?

So a long-term contract, if you're guaranteed, well, if you get $50 million, but $40 million is in that last year of the contract, they're telling you they're going to cut you. So I don't think a player can ever get, be overpaid. I know the Titans, you know, I guess paid them a lot of money, but the Titans didn't pay them all the money because they, like I say, the NFL, they will write that wrong.

And in the future, they probably are a lot more cautious when being in that situation again and trying to trade for a player. And I'm just happy that he gets to go back to the chiefs to get back with his old defensive coordinator, where he still has that knowledge of that system. and maybe he doesn't have to start, but can definitely be a contributor on a team that needs help in that secondary. He can probably come there and the guys that have been there for a couple of years, he can come there and coach them up on how to run their systems. And so the vet minimum is around $5 million? Well, no, so the way it's reported, right, because agents always tell the reporters how to report it.

It's one-year contract, $5 million. And then when you look at the details, it's always an up to $5 million. Yeah, because there's incentives. Right. That's what it is. So I think it's, I haven't looked at the details yet, but I would imagine it's a little bit above that minimum. And then with escalators up to $5 million because, I mean, look, agents do their job well. I mean, they got to need that big contract, even though everyone knew the knee was cooked.

but it's just kind of, I just think every single move is so risky in the NFL, right? And you always have to do a risk analysis of these things. And for the Colts, like with Sauce Gardner, for instance, right, when they gave up the two first round picks, they knew that was a lot. But part of that equation was, like, usually when you trade for a player, right, you're giving up capital and you're giving up money for the guy, right?

With Sauce Gardner, the reason why the second first round pick got included there is because you were getting two years of very, a very like surplus value on that contract because the Jets were paying for most of the first two years of that contract. So if the Colts, if Saus Gardner was set to become a free agent and the Colts were trading form, it would have been a one first round pick trade. It wouldn't have been two first round picks. But that second first round pick was to get super cheap on two years to open this window for them for two years. But that's the risk analysis the Colts took with the sauce Gardner trade.

Whereas when they looked at Sneed, they were like, okay, we're only getting up a third. but if we have to guarantee this guy a ton of money, when he might not survive to the end of the contract, that is where the risk was too great for a team like the Colts and for most teams. The Titans were willing to meet Sneed where he wanted to be met on that, but they were a team that really needed a spark, and they had a lot of picks, and they weren't really hitting on their picks at that point. They had a lot of money that they weren't really spending well at that point

because they didn't have any rookies to extend, so they took a shot, and it didn't work. And it's just like that with every single trade. Like NFL, I think more so than any other sport, there's so much more risk involved in every move off of the, like this is why we put the such a big emphasis on drafting well. Because after the rookie contract, everything's out the window, right? Everything's out the window after the rookie contract is that's when the wear and tear starts coming up. And everything's a risk after the rookie contract. The rookie contract's the only time where you get these guys where they're providing more surplus value than what you're paying them. and you're not losing value.

It's kind of like a car, right? It's like you want to take advantage those first couple years that you have a car, right? Because it's just depreciating value after that. I hate talking about players like this, but that's the way that the NFL views the assets that are NFL players. Absolutely. And Sneed was just a risk that was too great for the Colts,

but Sauce Gardner wasn't because you were getting a little bit more surplus there in those first two years. And I kind of look at this situation. I compare Jerry's who Mooney Ward it's just didn't have good years with Tennessee but

doesn't want to go out like that just like Mooney Ward who's last year with the concussions it's just a guy with a lot of pride that you know probably saying look let me go out on my terms I know I can be better than this and so that's how I

view Sneed in this particular situation. Yeah, Titans drove that car out of the lot and the wheels fell off. They had a tow to the mechanics, essentially. Just real quick, a couple of the reactions from March of 2024 from Colts fans when Schaefter announced the news. I hated here in all caps. Chris Bower, when a premium player at a position of need becomes available, and it's a jiff of a chimpanzee sleeping. Somebody wake up sleepy Chris, and this was supposed to be the Colts big pickup. I don't know. Just kind of funny to look back and realize, hey, much to do about nothing, right?

We'll do a poll below, pick which one was Jake, which one was Derek, and which one was me. All of those tweets were from each of them. I'm just kidding. Yeah, the responses at the time were always very funny. Fans hate inactivity. Yes. No question. They see a player they recognize that maybe has some talent and it goes somewhere else.

not so much. Thanks so much for joining us on this latest edition of the Colts squad show. We'll be back with you at the regularly scheduled time Thursday 9.30 p.m. Eastern, as always, the Colts news cycle never ends. So keep it locked on Jake and Zach every day on Locked on Colts. Be sure to follow at Lockdown Colts on socials. Check out our other great content on YouTube and TikTok. And we'll see you next time right here on the squad show.