Keanu Neal Helped Eagles Once, Maybe He Can Help Again

The safety is meeting with Philly during his free agency tour, per a report

USA Today

Keanu Neal never received a Super Bowl ring from the Eagles’ championship from five years ago, even though the former Falcons safety certainly had a hand in Philly’s march to its first Lombardi Trophy.

Maybe he will try to win one another way with the Eagles, and actually join them. Per a report from ESPN’s Field Yates, the Eagles hosted a visit with Neal as part of his free agency tour.

Who can forget the play Neal made (didn’t make) during the Divisional Round game against Atlanta when he appeared to have an interception near midfield late in the first half of a very tight game? 

Instead, Neal jumped, the ball caromed off his knee, and Torrey Smith swiped the ricochet out of the air, and gained 20 yards to the 50.

A play later Nick Foles completed a 15-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery that allowed Jake Elliott to hammer a 53-yard field to pull the Eagles to within 10-9 of the Falcons at halftime in a game they would eventually win 15-10 to jumpstart their Super Bowl LVII journey.

Neal was only in his second season in the league that year, entering as a first-round draft pick of Atlanta in 2016, the 17th overall selection.

The Eagles took Carson Wentz in that year's draft but never would have selected Neal then because he was a safety and they have never taken one of those in the first round. Ever.

They are shopping now, though, and maybe Neal fits the bill.

He’s still just 27 but has been with two different teams the past two years – Dallas and Tampa Bay, making just 13 starts combined with those teams.

If nothing else, Neal would at least be in the team’s price range.

The Eagles already added Justin Evan in free agency, but have lost two safeties during free agency – CJ Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps.

Reed Blankenship opened some eyes with his solid play when given the opportunity last year, so he is likely one of the starters at safety. However, the Eagles likely won’t hand anything to the former undrafted free agent.

They will want to make him earn it with any competition they bring in, which will likely be in free agency, with a trade – perhaps for the Titans’ Kevin Byard, though his salary is a potential budget-buster – or in the draft, but not in the first round of the draft, if history is any sort of guide.

READ MORE: Justin Evans Opts for Opportunity with Eagles

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.