The Indianapolis Colts took advantage of their first dev game since season 2 of this cycle when rookie Shemar Stewart was awarded a chance to progress to superstar after winning defensive player of the week thanks to 1 sack, 5 tackles for loss, and a big fumble recovery touchdown. Shemar picked up 3 tackles for loss and half of a sack against the Kansas City Chiefs and got his superstar development as well as 2k XP which wasn’t enough for an upgrade but it did put him close. The ability he received was defensive rally, which according to my memory and a quick Google search, is nothing special. So with now 9 superstars on the Colts roster, who should they choose to revert back to star?
Brock Bowers
No. Great abilities, young player, on the road to X Factor
Deforest Buckner
No. He may be aging but he has useful abilities and is the centerpiece of the defensive line and the defense as a whole.
Michael Pittman
No. Not too old and I doubt he could get back to superstar after missing some games and just overall the Colts having a deeper spread of the ball with Boutte healthy, unlike last season. I personally like his abilities as well.
Quenton Nelson
No. Elite abilities and so so evident that they work for him
Donovan Jackson
No. Solid first ability and approaching his second while in his second season. Really solidifies the offensive line and perhaps the best pass protector on the team
Bobby Okereke
No. He may be 29 now but reach elite and run stopper activate every game, especially as my main user. Don’t think he’ll regress but I know I wouldn’t be able to get him back to superstar so I’d rather as many games with him as a superstar as I can.
Now The True Debate
Shemar Stewart
The case for the standout rookie is simple but it makes sense: Don’t fix what isn’t broken. Stewart has 7 sacks in 9 games which is tied with X-Factor Kwity Paye and Stewart also leads the league in TFL with 25. On top of that, defensive rally isn’t good and maybe his amazing season so far continues and he gets superstar in the offseason where he gets a reroll. The defensive line is at peak performance with all 4 starters in the top 10 for DL of the year in the AFC, so why take away a superstar at a different position to help the already elite line?
On the other hand, he is a rookie who could really benefit from superstar development.
Kwity Paye
The case for Paye makes sense but it’s also a big risk in my opinion. He has elite attributes but has two pretty useless abilities and even as an X Factor, it isn’t a good one. It activates every time he makes a sack or TFL which is most games, but even with the persistent ability, it deactivates after just two plays because of how useful it’s supposed to be. Also, he’s having a good season with 7 sacks in 9 games and 15 TFL and could progress back to superstar and get better abilities.
However, Kwity is the only X Factor on the whole team and even if it isn’t that great, why give up 2 traits instead of 1? And the defense just had one of their best games of the season while he was out with an injury but there was a clear lack of pass rush with 2 sacks, but 1 one of them was a rollout right into Jalen Carter’s arms.
Shaquille Leonard
Shaq Leonard regressing is an interesting thought. He is 30 years old but last offseason he progressed to X Factor before regressing back to just superstar despite his weakest season so taking his abilities off doesn’t mean he can’t earn them back. He’s having a great season most likely on his way to a progression. His abilities don’t seem great on paper but they do give him a presence that is needed next to Okereke instead of a 3rd defensive lineman superstar. He doesn’t need the development trait but he’s a captain and could become an X Factor which I already said I love to have regardless of what it is and what age the player is.
The Decision
This will be a tough choice that I’ll think about for the next couple of days. Those last 3 options all make sense and there is a lot to consider. Hopefully, I’ll be right back to deciding this in the offseason with some progressions.
