Photo Courtesy: Dallas Cowboys
FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys’ voluntary OTAs commenced at the Star and veterans joined rookies on the field. Keanu Neal stepped on the gridiron for the first time donning the Star and as a linebacker. After a five-year career under Dan Quinn with the Atlanta Falcons playing the model Cover 3 strong safety role, he will make a switch to linebacker in Dallas.
This will not be the first time.
“Growing up I played linebacker in middle school and high school, then we changed the defense and I switched to safety,” Neal described to local Dallas media during OTAs. “So, I went to college as a safety. But in my heart, I have been a linebacker for a while. As time went on, I moved to safety. I still have an understanding of what everything entails with playing linebacker.”
He played safety in college at the University of Florida and with the Falcons, but his roots are at linebacker. Neal was solid throughout his collegiate/pro career against the run in the box, limiting ball carriers from breaking past the second level. He is a hard hitter, an attribute the Cowboys’ defense lacked in 2020. Physicality became a priority for Dallas with offseason acquisitions and snagging the former first-round pick in free agency certainly helped address the need. Neal will now begin the transition to LB and even though he has a past working relationship with Quinn, he is still entering a new scheme.
“The first few years and throughout my career I’ve played in the box. I’ve played down at times. So, I kind of have an understanding of the fits and all that stuff. But yeah, I typically play around the six yards or so and Coach is trying to get me to bump down to like five, four and a half. So that adjustment, I’m kind of getting used to that. But it’s definitely a transition.”
“Typical linebacker stuff. Playing the hook. Playing the curl. Dropping in our coverages. Lining over the tight end, playing man on the tight end and the backs, things of that nature. But WILL and dime…WILL is base and dime is nickel.”
Quinn has vocalized he will employ a 3-4 base and 60-70% of the time will use a four-man front in nickel packages. In the team’s 3-4 alignment with the down lineman two-gapping (space eating nose tackle and defensive ends setting the edges), the linebackers are the lifeblood. He will lineup opposite of the running back on the weakside or could flip to the outside on the strongside of the formation to cover tight ends/ RBs.
Most of the time, Neal will be the dime linebacker. With the league becoming more and more pass-oriented, teams are predominately employing nickel packages with more defensive backs on the field against 11 personnel (three wide receivers, one running back, one tight end). In this situation, Neal will play close to the ball in the box covering Y tight ends or will get around blocks and navigate traffic to undercut backs. Or he will be flexed five yards out to carry RBs or TEs in the flat.
Training camp in July will provide more insight on the player rotations at linebacker, but for right now, he is transitioning and soaking up information on a new team. In a crowded linebacker room, his role has been defined. Quinn has a reputation of getting the most out of his players and molding scheme to fit individual strengths. He has certainly provided a map to Keanu Neal’s.
“He’s a stud,” Mike McCarthy stressed to media on Day 2. “He’s a stud of a player. Just his approach. I think football comes extremely natural to him. I think he’s making the full-time conversion into the linebacker room. He looks very comfortable. He’s an excellent addition to our football team.”
