Getty The Eagles could pursue safety Ryan Neal.
The Philadelphia Eagles could reunite with one of their former players.
As proposed by Liam Jenkins of Philly Sports Network, the Eagles should consider signing safety Ryan Neal. The 27-year-old is officially a free agent after the Seattle Seahawks rescinded their tender on the restricted free agent. Neal — who briefly spent time with the Eagles in training camp back in 2018 — is now free to sign with any team he chooses.
Jenkins explains why Philadelphia should sign a “steal” in Neal after losing their starting safeties from last season, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps.
“As a cheap and cheerful signing, the stars don’t align much better than this,” said Jenkins. “Neal would fill a need for the Eagles and likely compete for a starting role, signing a prove-it contract while he looks to double down on his 2022 form and secure a long-term payday. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Ryan Neal Coming off of Banner Season
Neal is coming off of a breakout season with the Seahawks, his first year in which he was considered a full-time starter. The Southern Illinois alum started 10 of his 14 appearances with 66 tackles while appearing in 73% of the defensive snaps. By comparison, his previous high for snaps was 42% during the 2020 season.
The Seahawks initially wanted to bring Neal back, but following the free agent signing of safety Julian Love at two years and $12 million, combined with the existing commitments to Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, there was little room for Neal from a personnel and salary cap standpoint.
Before rescinding their offer, Seattle was going to pay Neal $2.6 million — which is arguably a bargain, considering the season he’s coming off of.
Via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic:
“Ryan Neal’s tender was worth $2.6M,” said Dugar. “That’s a workable number but not as much when Jamal, Quandre and Julian are accounting for more than $40M this year. Ryan’s a starting-caliber safety. Be interested to see what happens next.”
According to Spotrac, Neal’s current market value is $2.4 million per season.
Ryan Neal Ranked as Top Safety in 2022, According to PFF
Jenkins explains how good of a season Neal is coming off of, detailing his versatility and his ability to play multiple positions.
“He was thrust into a starting role in 2022 when Jamal Adams went down with injury and really proved his worth,” said Jenkins. “He spent time at free safety as well as in the nickel, proving his worth as a down-and-dirty run player and as someone who can excel in coverage. In fact, he was given an 84.4 coverage grade by PFF last year in the 362 snaps that he played.”
Among full-time players last season, Neal posted the highest grade among all safeties (85.6), according to Pro Football Focus. Jenkins also details how Neal’s athleticism allows him to excel.
“He’s not just a PFF darling, however,” says Jenkins. “He’s a menace at the catch-point (8 passes defensed in 2022 which ranked 16th out of 95 safeties) and is a more than competent athlete, having posted a 4.47 40-yard dash along with very good agility scores (4.29 shuttle & 37.5″ vertical).”
The Eagles are currently looking at a re-stocking at the safety position following the free agency departures of Gardner-Johnson and Epps. Philadelphia will bring back Reed Blankenship and K’Von Wallace along with free agent signees, Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds.
Both Evans and Edmunds have valuable starting experience while Blankenship actually started four games last season. With that being said, if the Eagles can sign the top-rated safety from last season to a cheap deal, it’s hard for Philadelphia to ignore the allure of signing Neal.
In a best-case scenario, Neal might help soften the blow of losing their top safety — Gardner-Johnson — from last season.