The Dallas Cowboys lost another player from their 2021 roster on Wednesday, when safety Keanu Neal signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A first-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, Neal played safety the first five seasons of his career. However, after signing with Dallas last year, his old head coach Dan Quinn, the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, moved Neal to linebacker.
Neal played in 14 games for Big D in 2021, making five starts at linebacker. He contributed 72 tackles and one sack and was a useful piece on a much-improved defensive unit.
Now, he’s heading back to safety and heading to Tampa, where he’ll work under new head coach Todd Bowles. On paper, it looks like a solid move by the Bucs.
Dallas hosts Tampa Bay in 2022. https://t.co/QykvT4Yd6w
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) April 6, 2022
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Best of luck. https://t.co/gGrZMmmfaX
— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) April 6, 2022
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The Jordan Whitehead replacement for the Bucs. @IcewaterOlson and I will give our thoughts and what this could mean for the draft on the next episode of the Podcast https://t.co/GQSsvwbhYH
— Garrett Ballard (@NflBallard) April 6, 2022
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i watch every snap of cowboys football every year, keanu neal is not “premium.” solid, not premium https://t.co/l9jl8eQJlH
— Robert Limite (@BobLimiteIII) April 6, 2022
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— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) April 6, 2022
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Love the move by the #Bucs here. Perfect fit for Bowles defense and only 26 so plenty of upside on a low risk contract likely. Expect him to make an impact https://t.co/ELzVREVKlm
— RealBucsTalk (@RealBucsTalk) April 6, 2022
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Fantastic. I suggested this to @JoeA_NFL after they lost Whitehead. Probably cheap, will essentially play the same role. Ryan is a hybrid depth piece they need, not a pigeonholed hybrid LB.
(Calling Neal a “premium” defender at this point is funny, tho) https://t.co/frvFFCOQOt
— Alonso Cervera (@AlonsoCervera_) April 6, 2022
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The man who blasted Mike Evans in 2016 is now a Buc. https://t.co/tRgiLdwP88 pic.twitter.com/rVXfhE4rTL
— David Schiele (@Deacon_Schiele) April 6, 2022
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Neal is the second veteran defensive back the Bucs have added recently. They also signed former Patriots, Titans and Giants DB Logan Ryan last month.
Meanwhile, Dallas has lost both Neal and pass rusher Randy Gregory from its 2021 defense, as well as wide receivers Amari Cooper (trade) and Cedrick Wilson (free agency) and offensive lineman La’el Collins (released).
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