INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Grover Stewart spends almost all of his time setting up the rest of his teammates to shine.
The mammoth Colts nose tackle gobbles up blocks so other players can flow easily to the football in the running game, crushes the pocket to take away a quarterback’s space to escape the edge rushers, gets up in the quarterback’s face to create errant throws for defensive backs to take away.
Every once in a while, Stewart gets his chance to shine.
When Stewart batted a Justin Herbert ball straight into the air in Sunday’s 38-24 win over the Chargers, he wasn’t about to let that ball drop.
Big man tip drill INT! Grover Stewart gets the pick 💪
INDvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVntpic.twitter.com/BGa91vp6JV
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025
“When I batted it, I thought the ball actually went further than what it did, but I saw other guys looking up and it was close to me,” Stewart said. “When I looked up, I said, ‘Oh yeah, I’m getting this.’”
Stewart reached up and cradled the ball in his oversized arms for the first interception of his career, making him the biggest Colts player to intercept a pass in franchise history.
The giant nose tackle is listed at 314 pounds. He’d say he’s closer to 330.
Before Stewart’s pick on Sunday, the largest Colt to ever make an interception was 6-7, 300-pound defensive tackle Jon Hand in 1986.
Stewart’s only regret is that he got taken down right away.
“If I had some space, I would have taken it to the crib,” Stewart said.
Stewart’s interception was bigger than anybody realized at the time.
Los Angeles faced a third-and-3 at the Indianapolis 28-yard line, well within range of Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker. The Colts held a 20-3 lead, but the Chargers would come roaring back after halftime, scoring touchdowns on three consecutive possessions to put the game in doubt.
If Stewart doesn’t get his hands in the air, maybe Herbert completes the pass to Los Angeles tight end Oronde Gadsden, who finished with seven catches for 164 yards, and the Chargers get a touchdown there.
Herbert gave Stewart a chance.
Elusive all day, Herbert started to throw, then pulled the ball down.
“He hitched a little bit, and I saw him pump-faking, so I thought, ‘I could go try to make a sack or bat the ball,’” Stewart said. “I knew I wasn’t going to get there in time because he already had his arm up.”
Over on the sideline, Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen saw the same thing.
“He was in the pocket looking for somebody, and I was yelling — they can’t hear me, but I was yelling, ‘Hands up! Get a bat!’” Steichen said. “Jeez, Grove. It was unbelievable. He got the tip and the pick.”
Stewart is a beloved figure in the Indianapolis locker room, a jovial giant who isn’t afraid to rib anybody.
He’s also one of the most trusted players on the defense, the runningmate to DeForest Buckner inside.
“Grover’s been a staple here for this organization for a long time,” Steichen said. “You can always count on him, always trust him to make a play.”
Normally, he makes the plays for somebody else.
When free safety Camryn Bynum picked off back-to-back passes in the first two games of the season, he owed both to Stewart, who’d collapsed the pocket and gotten his hand in the faces of Tua Tagovailoa and Bo Nix, forcing them to sail their throws high over their intended target.
This time Stewart got the ball.
“He’s usually doing all the dirty work nobody sees,” Buckner said. “He finally got the assist to himself, and got all the praise he deserves.”
Joel A. Erickson covers the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Grover Stewart interception: What Colts’ 330-pound DT said about pick
