Dallas Cowboys lose safety Keanu Neal to Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency

Former Dallas Cowboys safety Keanu Neal has signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per NFL reporter Ian Rapoport. Details on the length and amount of the contract have yet to be released.

A Florida alum, Neal was taken 17th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He spent the first five years of his NFL career playing safety in Atlanta before signing a one-year deal with Dallas last offseason. He converted to linebacker in defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s system, finishing with 72 tackles (four for loss) and a sack this past season.

Keanu Neal will reportedly make the move back to safety with the Buccaneers. While playing the position for the Falcons, he totaled 410 tackles, two interceptions and 16 passes defended across 48 starts. Neal is set to team up with first-year coach Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay, who took the reigns following the retirement of Bruce Arians.

Coming off of a Super Bowl victory, the Buccaneers finished this past season with a record of 13-4. They advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs before losing to eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. At the conclusion of the season, Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement after 22 seasons, putting Tampa Bay’s status as a contender next year in doubt. However, Brady later changed his mind and unretired just two months later, bringing with him the hope of another championship.

Tampa Bay ranked fifth in scoring defense this past season and will look to continue its stretch of good play on that side of the field. The Buccaneers are still awaiting word from defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh on whether he will re-sign with the team, but do return last year’s leading tackler Devin White. Now having added Neal, the defense is shaping up for yet another season of contending.