AP Photo/Matt PattersonKeanu Neal, who played linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys last season, is reportedly moving back to safety as he seeks a new team in free agency.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sunday that Neal wants to "reestablish himself as one of the top players" at the safety position in 2022.
The 26-year-old University of Florida product struggled after making the switch. He recorded 72 total tackles but added just one sack with no passes defended, interceptions or forced fumbles in 14 games. Pro Football Focus gave him a poor 35.9 overall grade for 2021.
It was a continuation of a worrisome trend that began after he was limited to just four appearances across the 2018 and 2019 seasons because of a torn ACL and a torn Achilles. He hasn't looked like the same game-changing player since those injuries.
Neal was a force at safety across his first two NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, who selected him in the first round of the 2016 draft.
He recorded 222 total tackles, 14 passes defended, eight forced fumbles and an interception in 30 games between 2016 and 2017.
Now, after a mostly healthy year in Dallas, he'll hope a switch back to the secondary can spark a career resurgence with a new team.
Rapoport didn't mention whether any teams had reached out to the 2017 Pro Bowl selection, but Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport listed the New Orleans Saints as one team still looking to upgrade at safety this offseason.
Neal would be a high-upside signing on what would probably be a one-year, prove-it deal. It takes time to work back from serious setbacks like a torn ACL and Achilles, and he dealt with those ailments in back-to-back years, which compounded the recovery.
He's made it through the last two seasons without any major setbacks, and while the switch to linebacker didn't go as the Cowboys anticipated, a return to a more familiar position could help.
At minimum, he should land somewhere as veteran safety depth before training camp.
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