There’s new contract details for newly signed Pittsburgh Steelers’ safety Keanu Neal. According to Ari Meirov of MySportsUpdate, Neal’s deal is two years and worth $4.25 million.
It’s a cheap contract for the Steelers that shouldn’t have a significant impact on the team’s cap space, though a full breakdown of the deal isn’t currently known. Pittsburgh officially announced the contract yesterday.
A former first round pick of the Atlanta Falcons, the Steelers showed interest in Neal coming out of Florida in 2016. By the time Pittsburgh was on the clock, Neal was off the board. A fierce hitter, Neal has recorded eight career forced fumbles though they all came within his first two seasons in the league. Appearing in 80 games, making 61 starts, he’s recorded 473 tackles and has three interceptions. Injuries have hampered Neal throughout his career, tearing his ACL and Achilles, but he recovered and played all 17 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, finishing with 63 tackles.
He profiles as a classic box safety to help replace Terrell Edmunds, who turned down Pittsburgh’s offer to sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s not clear if Neal is going to be the team’s starter or just valuable depth. It’s worth noting his two-year deal is less than what Damontae Kazee reportedly received, coming in at two years, $6 million.
Pittsburgh certainly could add another safety in the draft, potentially targeting someone like Alabama’s Brian Branch at #17. This year’s safety class is regarded as one of the draft’s weakest positions.
