Neal (ribs) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.
The veteran safety was held out of practice all week after suffering a ribs injury during the Steelers' Week 10 win over the Packers, and he'll be forced to miss the team's next four games after going on IR. Neal was able to record 50 total tackles, two pass deflections and one interception in the nine games before his injury. Damontae Kazee is expected to start at strong safety until Neal can return to the field.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Keanu Neal: Sitting out Week 11
Rotowire
Neal (ribs) has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Browns, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Neal has seen an increased role over the past three weeks while Minkah Fitzpatrick has been absent due to a hamstring issue, but the former will now be forced to sit out as well. That will likely mean that Damontae Kazee and Elijah Riley will be very busy Sunday versus Cleveland. Neal wasn't able to practice at all this week, so his status for Week 12 against Cincinnati is up in the air as well.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Keanu Neal: Sits out practice Wednesday
Rotowire
Neal did not participate in practice Wednesday due to a rib injury.
Neal tallied a season-high eight tackles along with his first interception of the season when he caught a tipped pass during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 23-19 win against Green Bay. However, he apparently came down on the ball awkwardly while being tackled on the play and had to be attended to by members of Pittsburgh's training staff, according to Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com. While Neal never received an official injury designation in-game and said he would be "okay" postgame, it appears this injury kept him sidelined for the Steelers' first practice session Week 11. The starting strong safety will now have two more sessions to improve his status before Sunday's divisional matchup at Cleveland.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Keanu Neal: Snags interception in win
Rotowire
Neal recorded eight tackles (four solo), while intercepting a pass and deflecting another in Sunday's 23-19 win over the Packers.
Neal was able to snatch an interception off of a pass deflection by Patrick Peterson in the fourth quarter, notching his first pick of the year. The eight tackles also represented a season high for the safety, who has now compiled 22 tackles, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection on top of the interception over the last three weeks.
... See More... See Less
Steelers' Keanu Neal: Finding role with Pittsburgh
Rotowire
Neal is expected to be a significant and versatile piece of the Steelers defense this season, Joe Rutter of TribLive.com reports.
Neal signed a two-year deal with Pittsburgh in March after spending last season on the Buccaneers. The veteran safety has spent time all over the field on defense in practice, seeing snaps at strong safety, while also as a third safety playing more in the box. His physical presence and versatility should lead to a significant role in Steelers' secondary this season.
... See More... See Less
Keanu Neal: Likely moving to Pittsburgh
Rotowire
Neal (hip) is expected to sign with the Steelers, Chris Halicke of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Neal, a 2016 first-round pick and Pro-Bowler, appears as if he'll pursue his eighth campaign in the NFL as a member of the Steelers. The 27-year-old spent the first five years of his career in Atlanta before suiting up for the Cowboys in 2021 and eventually for the Buccaneers in 2022. Across 17 appearances last season, Neal amassed 63 tackles, four passes defensed and one interception.
... See More... See Less
Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Won't play against Dallas
Rotowire
Neal (hip) has been ruled inactive prior to Monday's wild-card game against the Cowboys.
Neal sustained a hip injury during the regular-season finale against Atlanta. While he was able to practice in full during each session heading into the playoffs, the 27-year-old won't be able to suit up for this home postseason contest. As a result, Logan Ryan will serve as the Buccaneers' only available safety behind starters Antoine Winfield and Mike Edwards.
... See More... See Less
Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Full participant Thursday
Rotowire
Neal (hip) was a full participant during practice Thursday.
Neal exited with a hip injury during the regular-season finale against Atlanta. It's unclear if the 27-year-old ever returned to this contest, though it doesn't appear this issue will limit him heading into the start of the playoffs. Neal has served a rotational role at safety for the Buccaneers this season, and he'll likely reprise this spot behind Antoine Winfield and Mike Edwards during Monday's wild-card matchup against the Cowboys.
... See More... See Less
Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Exits with injury Sunday
Rotowire
Neal (hip) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Falcons.
Neal picked up a hip injury at some point during Sunday's regular-season finale, though the nature and severity of this issue are unclear. With Mike Edwards (hamstring) and Logan Ryan (knee) both already inactive, it's unclear who will step in alongside starting strong safety Antoine Winfield for the time being.
... See More... See Less
Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Good to go for Week 16
Rotowire
Neal (toe) is active for Sunday's matchup against the Cardinals, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Neal was considered questionable due to a toe injury that sidelined him for most of Week 16 prep, but the veteran defensive back will ultimately be active. Antoine Winfield (ankle) and Mike Edwards (hamstring) are also available after being listed as questionable, so Tampa Bay's secondary will be close to full strength.
... See More... See Less
Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Huge pass breakup in win
Rotowire
Neal recorded five solo tackles and a pass defended in Monday's 17-16 win against the Saints.
Neal once again stepped up for injured starting safety Antoine Winfield (concussion). While he only finished with a pedestrian five tackles, the 27-year-old flew in to break up a would-be third-down conversion on a pass to Taysom Hill. The Saints' ensuing punt allowed just enough time for quarterback Tom Brady to lead Tampa Bay's offense on a 63-yard game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. Neal has now logged 51 tackles, a half-sack and two passes defended over his first 12 games with the Buccaneers. He could stand to see prominent usage again if Winfield remains out against San Francisco in Week 14.
... See More... See Less
Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Team-high tackle tally
Rotowire
Neal recorded 10 tackles (six solo) in the Buccaneers' 16-13 win over the Rams on Sunday.
The veteran safety drew another start for Antoine Winfield (concussion) and parlayed the opportunity into a team- and season-high tackle total. Neal has 18 total stops over 129 snaps in the last two games while filling Winfield's strong safety role, but he could be back to serving in a rotational capacity if the latter returns as expected for the Week 10 clash against the Seahawks in Munich, Germany.
... See More... See Less
Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Full workload Week 6
Rotowire
Neal compiled four tackles (three solo) while playing 100 percent of the defensive snaps during the Buccaneers' 20-18 loss to the Steelers in Week 6.
With Mike Edwards (elbow) sidelined, Neal drew the start at free safety and delivered a solid performance while playing alongside the highly active Antoine Winfield in the defensive backfield. With Edwards returning to full practice participation Wednesday, Neal projects to revert to the rotational role he'd been filling prior to Sunday, though Logan Ryan's (foot) ongoing absence should continue to ensure a healthy amount of snaps.
... See More... See Less
Buccaneers' Keanu Neal: Solid tackle tally in Week 4
Rotowire
Neal compiled six tackles (all solo) and was credited with a quarterback hit during the Buccaneers' 41-31 loss to the Chiefs in Week 4.
The veteran had played just three snaps on defense all season coming into Sunday night's contest, but he logged 46 versus the Chiefs and made good use of them. Neal's boost in workload came as a result of an early exit for Logan Ryan (foot), and with the latter a non-participant to start the practice week Wednesday, it's possible Neal sees another expanded role in Week 5 against the Falcons.
... See More... See Less
Cowboys' Keanu Neal: DNP on Thursday
Rotowire
Neal (chest/elbow) did not participate at Thursday's practice, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The linebacker was a limited participant for Wednesday's non-padded work, but he was unavailable for Thursday's regular practice. With the step back in participation, Neal's ability to play Sunday against the 49ers comes into greater question. His status at the Cowboys' practice Friday is worth monitoring and if he can't go for this weekend's wild-card matchup, Luke Gifford and Francis Bernard could be asked to play larger roles at linebacker.
... See More... See Less
Cowboys' Keanu Neal: Limited practice Wednesday
Rotowire
Neal (chest/elbow) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, David Helman of the Cowboys' official site reports.
Neal left the Cowboys' Week 18 win over the Eagles early with an arm injury, which is now understood to be both an elbow and chest injury. The linebacker's ability to practice in any capacity Wednesday bodes well for his chances to suit up for Sunday's wild-card contest versus the 49ers, though his status is worth monitoring in the coming days.
... See More... See Less
Cowboys' Keanu Neal: Returns to practice
Rotowire
Neal (illness) will return to practice Wednesday, Jori Epstein of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Neal has missed the last two games after he tested positive for COVID-19, but he's expected to return for Sunday's matchup against the Giants. He'll to be limited in Wednesday's practice and will be monitored to determine his status. If the linebacker is back in action against the Giants, he should reclaim his starting role.
... See More... See Less
Cowboys' Keanu Neal: Out for second straight week
Rotowire
Neal (illness) remains in COVID-19 protocols and will miss Sunday's contest against the Panthers, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Neal tested positive for the virus ahead of Monday's matchup with the Eagles and may be out for multiple weeks. Leighton Vander Esch played a sizeable role in Neal's absence during Week 3 and will likely have a similar workload against the Panthers on Sunday.
... See More... See Less
Cowboys' Keanu Neal: Officially moves to linebacker
Rotowire
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn announced Monday that Neal will play linebacker with the Cowboys, Zach Klein of WSB TV reports.
Neal is already listed as a linebacker on Dallas' official depth chart, confirming that he has a new primary position. The switch is a considerable blow to Neal's fantasy value in IDP formats, given the difference in positional scarcity between safeties and linebackers capable of racking up high tackle totals. It's possible that Neal's significant injury history, including a torn ACL in 2018 and a torn Achilles in 2019, have deprived him of the speed necessary to excel in the secondary.
... See More... See Less
Falcons' Keanu Neal: Nursing hamstring issue
Rotowire
Neal (hamstring) was limited in Wednesday's practice, Will McFadden reports.
Neal will have two more opportunities to increase his practice reps ahead of Sunday's road game against the Chiefs. As long as he's able to continue handling at least limited activity, the standout safety should have a good shot at taking the field.
