The Pittsburgh Steelers front office hasn't been playing around during the 2024 offseason, as Omar Khan and company just released their fifth player in Keanu Neal since the 2023 season ended. Neal joins Mason Cole, Mitch Trubisky, Chukwuma Okorafor and Pressley Harvin as players released so far in the 2024 offseason. Neal produced for Pittsburgh when he was on the field, but he missed the last nine weeks of the season due to injury.
Neal was excited to be with the Steelers after he signed with Pittsburgh during the 2023 offseason. He originally signed a two-year contract worth $4.25 million. The Steelers would have owed him $2.125 million for the 2024 season but now will only have to pay $460,000 after releasing Neal due to a failed physical.
With the Steelers in 2023 Neal started in eight games, and played in nine games total. He finished the season with 50 total tackles, two passes defensed, a fumble recovery, and an interception that he returned 32 yards. His interception was a crucial reason the Steelers won in Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers, but it also got him put on injured reserve with a rib injury.
Neal has a history of struggling with injuries throughout his career, he played just one game during the 2018 season due to a torn ACL and three games during the 2019 season due to an achilles tear. Playing in just nine games during the 2023 season was the third lowest total of his career thanks to his rib injury suffered on the return against Green Bay. Neal's injury history alone is concerning, and it is the right move for Pittsburgh to move on from the veteran safety after his failed physical, and it also gives the organization more cash to play with during a loaded free agency class
The Steelers are now relying on Damontae Kazee to start alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick in the defensive backfield with the way their roster is currently constructed after the release of Neal. Kazee and Neal played together with the Atlanta Falcons for four seasons, and also reunited on the Dallas Cowboys during the 2021 season before joining forces again in 2023 in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers will be looking to add to the safety position during both the draft and free agency, Kazee has proven to be a liability at times and the organization can certainly make an upgrade at the position with how much talent is available.
Steelers Have Plenty Of Options To Pair With Minkah Fitzpatrick
The 2024 safety free agent class is one of the most loaded free agent classes the NFL has seen. There have been All-Pros and Pro-Bowler being released at the position throughout the 2024 offseason. The Denver Broncos released Justin Simmons, who was an All-Pro in 2023. The Buffalo Bills released both Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde who were arguably the best safety duo in the league. Other names that are available include Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Eddie Jackson, Kevin Byard, and Rayshawn Jenkins.
The Steelers front office would be fools not to pair one of these free agent safeties with Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick is already one of the best in the league, but imagine what he would be able to do if he had a top-talent safety playing opposite of him? The Steelers have the opportunity to do that through free agency in the 2024 offseason.
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