The Pittsburgh Steelers have continued to surprise nearly everyone with both the number and quality of their offseason acquisitions. They have let some players go that folks assumed they would keep like Terrell Edmunds and Cam Sutton and brought in a variety of veteran players to hopefully build a stronger team.
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Pittsburgh Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds said his goodbyes to Pittsburgh in a tweet
One of the most recent signings was safety, Keanu Neal. Neal is a former first-round draft pick out of the University of Florida. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons17th overall in 2016. After leaving the Falcons, Neal has been with the Dallas Cowboys and most recently the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Neal is an interesting player, he has displayed real flashes of brilliance but he has also been injured quite a bit.
Will Neal Be A Surprise Benefit To The Steelers?
On his podcast, The Arthur Moats Experience, former Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats discusses the Neal signing and how he thinks he could fit into the current Pittsburgh roster. Moats said he liked the signing originally, but was holding some reservations. But now that he has had a chance to fully break down Neal's film, he's excited.
"I love this signing even more. Looking at how he was utilized in Tampa, we have a lot more of a versatile piece than I originally thought. They used him as a blitzer, playing coverage, playing the middle of the field as a safety, played him in the box. The versatility that he was showing down in Tampa is dope to me. He was productive but he still wasn't playing every single game, starting every single snap which was weird to me because whenever he was out there he was making plays and he looked healthy."
Moats said he was relieved to see just how healthy Neal looked. While he has struggled with injuries in the past, he was healthy in 2022, and while he did not start every game he did see the field in every game.
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Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick
One of Neal's biggest assets is his versatility. He has been moved around the secondary and is comfortable in various positions. This allows the Steelers to use some unique packages where they might present three safeties - Minkah Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee and Neal. While Moats says it is still too soon to tell he thinks that having Neal is going to possibly benefit the team more than Edmunds did.
"I still feel like Edmunds was more athletic, but watching Keanu, to me, he's more productive, granted it was a smaller sample size. I think he is going to be able to fill some of those things a little bit better than Edmunds. Edmunds might be a better athlete but Keanu is more polished. That's gonna help us out a lot. We talk about that third ILB/coverage guy, Keanu was showing a good amount of that."
The Steelers apparently prioritized Kazee over Edmunds this offseason, retaining the former and letting the latter walk. That seemed to send the message that Kazee would be the one who started across from Fitzpatrick. When the team signed Neal it was indicated that it was "for depth." However, they might find themselves with three powerful safeties.
"He definitely showed that versatility, you would see him middle of the field, you would see him playing cover two, deep half. Thought his hips were good, thought he filled the alley well against the run. But he can still play in that box in terms of a linebacker spot, you still play him out in space almost like nickel/big nickel type vibe because he is physical enough but athletic and rangy enough."
Moats doesn't think that the Neal signing necessarily means they won't try to draft a safety. He said it's just too early to tell.
"I was surprised when they said we are looking at this as more of a depth thing. Do they view Kazee as the Minkah backup and they still want to bring in someone that is better or someone that is a starter? Are you bringing someone in because you're saying early on Keanu is still gonna give us something if we need him at the beginning? But ultimately this other guy is the guy we want to be the starter. Like the Kenny Pickett approach, this is Mitch but Kenny is going to take over at some point?"
Photo Credit: USA Today
Pittsburgh Steelers' newest safety was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2016.
Moats is right about one thing, it is too soon to tell how the Steelers will use the safeties they have. However, regardless of whether the intention is depth or to hold a spot for an up-and-coming rookie, fans should expect some exciting safety packages in 2023.
What do you think about the Neal signing? Setting aside his injuries, how do you think he stacks up against Edmunds? Would you still want the Steelers to draft a safety? If so, in what round? Tell us how you feel in the comments section below!
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