Buccaneers sign veteran Keanu Neal to play safety

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost safety Jordan Whitehead to the New York Jets in free agency but acquired cornerback-turned-safety Logan Ryan last month. Tampa Bay announced another move at the position on the first Wednesday of April. 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (h/t Grant Gordon) reported earlier in the day that the Buccaneers were signing Keanu Neal to play safety. The Buccaneers later confirmed the news but disclosed no details about the contract. 

Neal initially entered the NFL as a safety selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2016 draft, and he spent five seasons with that organization. He most recently completed the 2021 campaign with the Dallas Cowboys as a linebacker. 

Across 14 regular-season games during his only year with Dallas, the 26-year-old tallied 72 total tackles, one sack, four tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. However, Gordon notes that Neal earned an overall grade of only 35.9 from Pro Football Focus, an indication of why he was so eager to move back to his natural position for 2022. 

Neal earned his only Pro Bowl nod, to date, in 2017 but was then relegated to a total of just four games over the following two seasons because of injuries (ACL tear in 2018, ruptured Achilles tendon in 2019). He'll now look to find his best form with a Buccaneers side that, per Ryan, considers anything other than winning a championship next February a failure of a year.