Keanu Neal made headlines by switching positions when he came to Dallas in 2021. Now the safety-turned-linebacker will be switching back to safety… and changing teams to boot.
The former first-round draft pick is signing with Tampa Bay, it was announced Wednesday. The Buccaneers will be Neal’s third club in the past three seasons; he spent his first five campaigns in Atlanta before reuniting with Dan Quinn in Dallas last year.
As a Cowboy, Neal played in 14 games, making five starts. He did miss time due to COVID but was in on 72 tackles (four of them for a loss) and logged a sack for the season.
His move to linebacker put him alongside Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons and Leighton Vander Esch, a switch designed to make use of his tackling abilities.
The Cowboys plan to use second-year linebacker Jabril Cox in that role in 2022, while the re-signed Jayron Kearse also has hybrid skills as both a defensive back and linebacker.
The #Bucs are adding another premium defender, signing former #Cowboys S Keanu Neal, source said. After moving to LB in #Cowboys DC Dan Quinn’s system, Neal is back at safety and now with new coach Todd Bowles in Tampa with a deal done by @SPORTSTARSNYC.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 6, 2022
It was widely expected that Neal would not return to Dallas for a second season. As recently as last week, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones notably spoke of the 26-year-old in past tense as he talked about the team’s defensive plans for 2022.
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