Broncos Darian Stewart and TJ Ward open up about records and Shaq Barrett

After the BMW partnership event on Thursday night, BSN Denver caught up with Denver Broncos starting safeties T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart for a fun one-on-one interview.

Sunday marks the first time that Ward has played in Cleveland since he left as a free agent after the 2013 season.

“It’s where I made my first NFL home so I’ll always have a place for Cleveland,” Ward told BSN Denver.

The Broncos safety said he is still good friends with Browns star corner Joe Haden, adding, “That’s my brother, man.”

Ward didn’t want to get into the differences between last year’s limited production and the success he has seen this year but anybody can see that Wade Phillips has put Ward in a much better situation than former Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio did last year. Playing in the box and rushing the passer has made Ward look like an All-Pro safety once again.

On the step up in play for Stewart, the Broncos prized free agent acquisition said, “I just keep my head down and work to get better every day. The rest takes care of itself.”

Stewart went from starting safety for the Baltimore Ravens to standout star in Denver. It can be argued that Stewart has been the biggest addition of this entire team in 2015, replacing Rahim Moore who is now with the Houston Texans.

Like DeMarcus Ware a few weeks ago, the Ward and Stewart said that records and ratings are for the media and the fans. They’re just trying to win a Super Bowl.

“That’s y’alls job. Our job is to win ball games,” Ward said.

Stewart added, “I’m just taking it game by game, it’s still real early in the season. We have a long way to go.”

Ignoring how miraculous they have played has certainly been the trend on the defensive side of the ball.

If there was one subject that the safeties weren’t shy about, it was Shaquil Barrett. Both seemed very impressed with the sophomore outside linebacker. Ward said, “He has worked really hard and deserves everything that comes his way.”

Stewart also gave us a nod on Shane Ray, saying, “Him too.”

The Broncos defense is so deep that it has reserves like Ray and Barrett to keep the pressure on when a guy needs a blow or when an injury occurs (as is the case with Ware this Sunday). Ward is spelled by David Bruton who has been phenomenal this season as a backup safety.

For more Broncos news and notes, head over to BSNBroncos.com