The Steelers finally have all of their safeties, and Keanu Neal is someone who is proving to be very important to what the Steelers want to do on the back end. For one, Neal offers plenty of flexibility in the box as a run-down blitzer off the edge and a guy who can still play deep. But more so, he allows Pittsburgh to mix and match against personnel groupings, such as 12 personnel.
The Steelers will see those groupings a lot. Teams such as the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns are very tight-end multiple. While a guy like Damontae Kazee can help in coverage, Neal can help both in coverage and in the box. He is essentially tasked with replacing most of what Terrell Edmunds did a year ago in this role. Mike Tomlin loves the possibilities that Neal could bring to the table.
“You know, we just looking at some packages,” Tomlin said. “It’s a component of what we do. We’ve done it in the past. It’s nothing new there. He’s a veteran player, man, he’s a quick study, and he’s got a skill set. We’d like some of the matchups, particularly versus two tight end personnel groups and stuff. So that’s an old hat for us. We’re excited about seeing it.”
Minkah Fitzpatrick believes that the three safety sets can open things up. Neal, in particular, is catching on quickly after missing about a week and a half of practice time. The defensive backfield looks to be multiple, and the Steelers are going to be versatile on both the front end and the back end.
“He’s a guy that moves well and you can put him in different roles,” Fitzpatrick said. “Keanu is an experienced guy, so he brings that type of knowledge and experience to the secondary. And he’s a smart guy, so he brings a level of intelligence to the room that is always welcome.”
A guy like Neal is a veteran who can bring those traits to the room and give the Steelers flexibility in the back half of the defense. That is why Tomlin is so excited to have him back in the fold, and the pop behind his pads is already notable in the run-team periods.
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