Ryan Christopher Neal (born December 24, 1995) is an American football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at Southern Illinois, and has also been a part of the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, and the Seattle Seahawks while in the NFL.
Personal information | |||||||||||
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Born: | Hammond, Indiana, U.S. | December 24, 1995||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Merrillville (Merrillville, Indiana) | ||||||||||
College: | Southern Illinois | ||||||||||
Position: | Safety | ||||||||||
Undrafted: | 2018 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Neal played four seasons at Southern Illinois, compiling 226 career tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 19 passes defensed.[1] As a senior, Neal led the team with three interceptions and tied for the team lead with 84 tackles and was named honorable mention All-Missouri Valley Football Conference.[2]
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 1+7⁄8 in (1.88 m) |
187 lb (85 kg) |
31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) |
8+3⁄4 in (0.22 m) |
4.47 s | 1.58 s | 2.63 s | 4.29 s | 7.18 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) |
10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) |
15 reps | |
All values from Pro Day[3] |
Neal signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent on April 28, 2018.[1] He was waived by the team during training camp on August 6, 2018.[4]
Neal was signed by the Atlanta Falcons on August 11, 2018.[5] However, he failed to make the 53-man roster out of training camp and was subsequently re-signed by the Falcons to the team's practice squad on September 2, 2018.[6] Neal was promoted to the Falcons active roster on November 28, 2018.[7] Neal made his NFL debut on December 9, 2018, in a 34–20 loss to the Green Bay Packers, playing on special teams in the only regular season appearance of his rookie season.[8] Neal was waived by the Falcons as part of the team's final roster cuts on August 31, 2019.[9]
Neal was signed to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad on September 2, 2019.[10] The Seahawks promoted Neal to the active roster on December 11, 2019.[11]
Neal re-signed with the Seahawks on April 20, 2020.[12] He was waived on September 5, 2020,[13] and signed to the practice squad the next day.[14] He was elevated to the active roster on September 26 for the team's week 3 game against the Dallas Cowboys.[15] With six seconds remaining in the game, he intercepted Dak Prescott in the end zone, sealing a 38–31 victory for the Seahawks.[16] After automatically reverting to the practice squad following the game, Neal was promoted to the active roster on September 30, 2020.[17] On October 4, 2020, with Adams and Lano Hill still injured, he made his first start for the Seahawks in a game against the Miami Dolphins.[18] Neal made 6 tackles, and also collected his second interception, from Ryan Fitzpatrick.[19]
Neal signed a one-year exclusive-rights free agent tender with the Seahawks on June 8, 2021.[20]
Neal's restricted free agent tender that he was offered in the 2023 off-season was rescinded by the team on March 31, 2023. This move by the Seahawks officially made Neal a free agent.
Neal signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on April 4, 2023.[21]
Neal is the younger brother of former Green Bay Packers linebacker Mike Neal.[1]