When the Pittsburgh Steelers lost S Terrell Edmunds in free agency to the Philadelphia Eagles, they needed someone to fill his role as the team’s strong safety. They went out and signed S Keanu Neal who, according to HC Mike Tomlin, provides more value than just as a big-hitting box safety for Pittsburgh.
When asked how Keanu Neal will fit into Pittsburgh’s three-safety look with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee, Tomlin mentioned that all three guys have notable NFL resumes and bring their own varying skill sets to the table.
“You know, we just looking at some packages,” Tomlin said to the media Wednesday on video from Steelers.com. “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. He’s got a skill set. We 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.”
Tomlin talked about the benefits of deploying three-safety looks in defensive packages last season, citing that personnel’s ability to combat two tight end personnel groupings when one is a viable receiving threat. That’s what made the three-safety package of Fitzpatrick, Kazee, and Edmunds so valuable as they could match up Fitzpatrick or Edmunds as the big nickel to cover the tight end, keeping a more athletic guy in coverage over tasking an inside linebacker to cover the tight end.
As Tomlin mentioned, Neal has a skill set to play the big nickel in Pittsburgh’s defense. He has been primarily a strong/box safety for a majority of his NFL career, being that traffic cop over the middle who can cover running backs and tight ends as well as be an enforcer against the run. During his time in Dallas, the Cowboys deployed Neal as a sub-package linebacker, having him be the guy to match up with tight ends in coverage while still having a quality run defender on the second level of the defense.
Having Neal take Edmunds’ role in Pittsburgh defense as that big nickel can be invaluable to the Steelers having the right personnel for either pass or run situations. Neal can play the run well and has the skill set to cover tight ends, or he can go to box/strong safety and have Fitzpatrick or Kazee cover in the slot with the other playing centerfield as the free safety. The ways the Steelers can mix and match the safeties and their roles can confuse opposing offenses and put more stress on the quarterback. With all three guys getting back to full strength, hopefully we will see that package before preseason’s end.
