Neal (ribs) announced via social media Sunday that he is retiring from the NFL, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Neal last played in 2023 with the Steelers before he sustained a season-ending rib injury, which led the team to release him with a failed physical designation in March of 2024. The 2016 first-round pick played his first five years with the Falcons and was a Pro Bowler in 2017. He then missed almost the entire 2018 and 2019 campaigns before spending one last season in Atlanta, and he went on to play one year in Dallas and one in Tampa Bay before ending up with the Steelers. Neal finishes his eight-year career with 523 tackles, four interceptions and eight forced fumbles.
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Steelers' Keanu Neal: Sitting out Week 11
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Neal (ribs) has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Browns, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Neal has seen an increased role over the past three weeks while Minkah Fitzpatrick has been absent due to a hamstring issue, but the former will now be forced to sit out as well. That will likely mean that Damontae Kazee and Elijah Riley will be very busy Sunday versus Cleveland. Neal wasn't able to practice at all this week, so his status for Week 12 against Cincinnati is up in the air as well.
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Steelers' Keanu Neal: Snags interception in win
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Neal recorded eight tackles (four solo), while intercepting a pass and deflecting another in Sunday's 23-19 win over the Packers.
Neal was able to snatch an interception off of a pass deflection by Patrick Peterson in the fourth quarter, notching his first pick of the year. The eight tackles also represented a season high for the safety, who has now compiled 22 tackles, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection on top of the interception over the last three weeks.
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Steelers' Keanu Neal: Finding role with Pittsburgh
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Neal is expected to be a significant and versatile piece of the Steelers defense this season, Joe Rutter of TribLive.com reports.
Neal signed a two-year deal with Pittsburgh in March after spending last season on the Buccaneers. The veteran safety has spent time all over the field on defense in practice, seeing snaps at strong safety, while also as a third safety playing more in the box. His physical presence and versatility should lead to a significant role in Steelers' secondary this season.
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Keanu Neal: Likely moving to Pittsburgh
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Neal (hip) is expected to sign with the Steelers, Chris Halicke of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Neal, a 2016 first-round pick and Pro-Bowler, appears as if he'll pursue his eighth campaign in the NFL as a member of the Steelers. The 27-year-old spent the first five years of his career in Atlanta before suiting up for the Cowboys in 2021 and eventually for the Buccaneers in 2022. Across 17 appearances last season, Neal amassed 63 tackles, four passes defensed and one interception.
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Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Won't play against Dallas
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Neal (hip) has been ruled inactive prior to Monday's wild-card game against the Cowboys.
Neal sustained a hip injury during the regular-season finale against Atlanta. While he was able to practice in full during each session heading into the playoffs, the 27-year-old won't be able to suit up for this home postseason contest. As a result, Logan Ryan will serve as the Buccaneers' only available safety behind starters Antoine Winfield and Mike Edwards.
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Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Exits with injury Sunday
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Neal (hip) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Falcons.
Neal picked up a hip injury at some point during Sunday's regular-season finale, though the nature and severity of this issue are unclear. With Mike Edwards (hamstring) and Logan Ryan (knee) both already inactive, it's unclear who will step in alongside starting strong safety Antoine Winfield for the time being.
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Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Good to go for Week 16
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Neal (toe) is active for Sunday's matchup against the Cardinals, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Neal was considered questionable due to a toe injury that sidelined him for most of Week 16 prep, but the veteran defensive back will ultimately be active. Antoine Winfield (ankle) and Mike Edwards (hamstring) are also available after being listed as questionable, so Tampa Bay's secondary will be close to full strength.
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Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Huge pass breakup in win
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Neal recorded five solo tackles and a pass defended in Monday's 17-16 win against the Saints.
Neal once again stepped up for injured starting safety Antoine Winfield (concussion). While he only finished with a pedestrian five tackles, the 27-year-old flew in to break up a would-be third-down conversion on a pass to Taysom Hill. The Saints' ensuing punt allowed just enough time for quarterback Tom Brady to lead Tampa Bay's offense on a 63-yard game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. Neal has now logged 51 tackles, a half-sack and two passes defended over his first 12 games with the Buccaneers. He could stand to see prominent usage again if Winfield remains out against San Francisco in Week 14.
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Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Team-high tackle tally
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Neal recorded 10 tackles (six solo) in the Buccaneers' 16-13 win over the Rams on Sunday.
The veteran safety drew another start for Antoine Winfield (concussion) and parlayed the opportunity into a team- and season-high tackle total. Neal has 18 total stops over 129 snaps in the last two games while filling Winfield's strong safety role, but he could be back to serving in a rotational capacity if the latter returns as expected for the Week 10 clash against the Seahawks in Munich, Germany.
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Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Solid tackle tally in Week 4
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Neal compiled six tackles (all solo) and was credited with a quarterback hit during the Buccaneers' 41-31 loss to the Chiefs in Week 4.
The veteran had played just three snaps on defense all season coming into Sunday night's contest, but he logged 46 versus the Chiefs and made good use of them. Neal's boost in workload came as a result of an early exit for Logan Ryan (foot), and with the latter a non-participant to start the practice week Wednesday, it's possible Neal sees another expanded role in Week 5 against the Falcons.
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Cowboys' Keanu Neal: DNP on Thursday
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Neal (chest/elbow) did not participate at Thursday's practice, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The linebacker was a limited participant for Wednesday's non-padded work, but he was unavailable for Thursday's regular practice. With the step back in participation, Neal's ability to play Sunday against the 49ers comes into greater question. His status at the Cowboys' practice Friday is worth monitoring and if he can't go for this weekend's wild-card matchup, Luke Gifford and Francis Bernard could be asked to play larger roles at linebacker.
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Cowboys' Keanu Neal: Limited practice Wednesday
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Neal (chest/elbow) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.
Neal left the Cowboys' Week 18 win over the Eagles early with an arm injury, which is now understood to be both an elbow and chest injury. The linebacker's ability to practice in any capacity Wednesday bodes well for his chances to suit up for Sunday's wild-card contest versus the 49ers, though his status is worth monitoring in the coming days.
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Cowboys' Keanu Neal: Returns to practice
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Neal (illness) will return to practice Wednesday, Jori Epstein of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Neal has missed the last two games after he tested positive for COVID-19, but he's expected to return for Sunday's matchup against the Giants. He'll to be limited in Wednesday's practice and will be monitored to determine his status. If the linebacker is back in action against the Giants, he should reclaim his starting role.
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Cowboys' Keanu Neal: Out for second straight week
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Neal (illness) remains in COVID-19 protocols and will miss Sunday's contest against the Panthers, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Neal tested positive for the virus ahead of Monday's matchup with the Eagles and may be out for multiple weeks. Leighton Vander Esch played a sizeable role in Neal's absence during Week 3 and will likely have a similar workload against the Panthers on Sunday.
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Cowboys' Keanu Neal: Officially moves to linebacker
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Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn announced Monday that Neal will play linebacker with the Cowboys, Zach Klein of WSB TV reports.
Neal is already listed as a linebacker on Dallas' official depth chart, confirming that he has a new primary position. The switch is a considerable blow to Neal's fantasy value in IDP formats, given the difference in positional scarcity between safeties and linebackers capable of racking up high tackle totals. It's possible that Neal's significant injury history, including a torn ACL in 2018 and a torn Achilles in 2019, have deprived him of the speed necessary to excel in the secondary.
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Falcons' Keanu Neal: Nursing hamstring issue
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Neal (hamstring) was limited in Wednesday's practice, Will McFadden reports.
Neal will have two more opportunities to increase his practice reps ahead of Sunday's road game against the Chiefs. As long as he's able to continue handling at least limited activity, the standout safety should have a good shot at taking the field.
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Falcons' Keanu Neal: Managing practice reps
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Neal (ankle) was a limited participant during Wednesday's practice, Will McFadden of the team's official site reports.
Neal has been a driving force in the secondary for the Falcons this season, including playing 90 percent of defensive snaps in last week's loss to the Saints. It's too early to panic over his chances to play in Week 14 against the Chargers, but he'll likely need to continue posting at least limited practice. If Neal were to suffer a setback, Jaylinn Hawkins would be the likely candidate to take over as the team's strong safety.
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Falcons' Keanu Neal: Starts week with limited practice
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Neal (hamstring) was limited in Wednesday's practice, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.
Neal is among a multitude of injured Falcons -- the team had seven limited participants and two non-participants Wednesday. He was unable to suit up in Week 4 after failing to practice all week, so practicing on a limited basis is a step in the right direction for Neal. The safety's practice participation as the week unfolds should help determine his status for Sunday's game against the Panthers.
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Falcons' Keanu Neal: Ruled out for MNF
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Neal (hamstring) has been ruled out for Monday's game versus the Packers, Jason Butt of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Neal has dealt with a plenty of injuries during his NFL career, as he played just four games between the 2018 and 2019 seasons. After watching practice from the sidelines all week, he'll predictably sit out Monday and look to get healthy for a divisional clash against the Panthers in Week 5. With Ricardo Allen (elbow) also out, expect rookie Jaylinn Hawkins and Sharrod Neasman to both see upticks in usage Monday.
