Methods and devices for efficiently updating the push down list in a storage device

A data storage device comprises storage media and a controller. The storage media may comprise a plurality of media defects, at least some of the media defects being listed in a grown defect list and a primary defect list comprising a plurality of entries sorted in an order according to physical address locations. The controller may be configured to generate a push down list from the primary defect list and the grown defect list by populating the push down list with entries from the primary defect list such that the push down list entries maintain the order; translating each entry in the grown defect list to a physical address location; and inserting each translated physical address location with updated push down count into the push down list.