Keanu Neal Exits Cowboys; Signs With Bucs
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys made it clear a week ago that Keanu Neal wasn’t being invited back to “America’s Team” … so instead, as he switches back from linebacker to safety, he’s signing with Tom Brady’s team.
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With Neal in Tampa, the Cowboys will look to replace him in this month's NFL Draft. Or …
"We feel great that he’s the right fit for what (coordinator) Dan (Quinn) wants to do defensively,'' COO Stephen Jones recently told us, speaking of Jabril Cox. "Should be a big plus for us this year. He'll probably fill right in where Keanu left off.''
Combine Jones' veiled goodbye to Neal, who played for one year in Dallas after being with Quinn in Atlanta, with Jones' "It just didn't work out'' dismissal of the then still-free Wagner (who has just signed with the Rams), and ...
Yes. Dallas must feel pretty good about Cox.
Meanwhile, Neal, the former first-round pick, surely feels good landing on his feet with a legit Super Bowl contender while shifting back to the safety spot that has been his position during the bulk of his NFL career.
Neal is a Florida native who played at the University of Florida, so that is a fine fit. And in Tampa Bay, he will work under new head coach Todd Bowles, the defensive-minded ace who moves up as Bucs head coach in the wake of the retirement of Bruce Arians.
All of this can be a right move for all involved … Wagner to the Rams, Neal to the Bucs … as long as Jabril Cox, along with re-signed Leighton Vander Esch, are ready to carry a Dallas load alongside Micah Parsons.
