When Jamal Adams went down with a quad injury in a Week 1 win over the Broncos, the Seahawks suffered a major blow losing one of their best players for the remainder of the season that many NFL teams would have struggled to overcome.
But while Seattle undoubtedly has missed Adams' unique skill set and talents, if there's a silver lining to losing a player of his caliber, the team has a budding star thriving in his absence once again. After filling in admirably at strong safety each of the past two seasons, Ryan Neal has been a critical catalyst for a stunning in-season turnaround on defense over the past month, proving himself to be far more than a super sub.
“We love playing him," coach Pete Carroll said of Neal's play following Sunday's 31-21 win over the Cardinals. "We are doing a bunch of different things with him. He’s handled it all. It’s exciting to see him come through. He’s a really good ball player. He’s always shown it. We’ve just forced him. We’ve gotten to watch him grow up. He was kicked around to different clubs trying to get started, but he hung with us. It's great to see it.”
As Carroll recollected, it wasn't long ago Neal strongly considered walking away from the game and hanging up his cleats. After being discarded by the Eagles and Falcons multiple times and being cut by the Seahawks at the conclusion of training camp in 2020, he had doubts about being able to get over the hump and make an NFL roster.
But at the urging of his girlfriend, Neal stuck with it and re-signed with Seattle's practice squad after clearing waivers. Three weeks later, Adams went down with a groin injury in the fourth quarter of a tightly-contested battle against Dallas, thrusting the ex-Southern Illinois standout into the lineup in his place after being activated as a game day practice squad elevation one day prior.
Seizing his opportunity, Neal secured a game-clinching interception of quarterback Dak Prescott in the end zone, sending the boisterous Lumen Field crowd into a frenzy. With Adams expected to miss multiple games, he was signed to the 53-man roster and earned his first start for the Seahawks one week later, registering his second pick in as many games in a road win over the Dolphins.
Two years later, Neal isn't just another feel good story in the Pacific Northwest. Thriving after scratching and clawing his way onto the roster, he's evolved into a bona fide game wrecker in his own right and a key member of a resilient football team that continues to win over doubters each week. After proving his reliability and versatility stepping up whenever Seattle called on him over the previous two seasons, an argument can be made no player has been more instrumental to the team's transformation from a beleaguered defense to an elite one that seemingly happened overnight.
Once he fully recovered from a high ankle sprain that cost him a large chunk of training camp and the entire preseason, the Seahawks inserted Neal back into the starting lineup in a Week 5 loss to the Saints. Since Week 6, he has stuffed the stat sheet with 20 tackles, three tackles for loss, an interception, four pass breakups, a sack, and two forced fumbles, including punching the ball out of quarterback Kyler Murray's hand on Sunday to leave the Cardinals without points before halftime.
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Already renowned for his versatility, Neal has become a key chess piece for defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt, who has been able to extensively run nickel and dime packages with five or more defensive backs on the field thanks to his ability to play in the box as well as defend tight ends in man coverage and drop back into zone as a single or two-high safety. In coverage, he hasn't allowed a touchdown and quarterbacks have posted a dismal 51.8 passer rating when targeting him.
Coming through with clutch plays time and time again and excelling in all aspects of his game, Neal has deservedly been Pro Football Focus' top-graded safety over the past four weeks, earning an elite 88.6 grade during that span. Continuing to thrive in Seattle's hybrid 3-4 defense, Carroll has been blown away by his development into a do-it-all Swiss army knife, indicating the scheme has been a significant factor in his third year leap.
“The position that he is in and the stuff that we are asking the safeties to do is something that I have been really excited about for some time. He’s been one of the guys that has taken advantage of it," Carroll told reporters on Monday. "He’s a really good all-around ball player. He can play the run, he can play the pass, he pursues well, he hits well, and he can make plays on the ball. He has all of the skills that can take advantage of the opportunities that he’s placed in. He is pressuring well, and all of that. He’s doing a really good job."
After seeing Neal perform at a high level as a spot starter each of the past two seasons, nobody should be surprised to see him playing like a starter-caliber safety. He has shown such capabilities in spurts when granted the chance to play more than a handful of snaps in sub-packages and Carroll has always trusted him to get the job done when Seattle needed him.
With that said, following Adams' latest injury, few could have foreseen Neal emerging as a dark horse All-Pro candidate. But while he may not be a household name nationally yet, he's been exactly that on the field, with his relentless efforts flying over the field making tackles, forcing fumbles, and swatting away passes coupled with infectious energy fueling the Seahawks recent run of success allowing under 13 points per game during a four-game winning streak.
Heading towards the second half of the schedule starting with a date with the Buccaneers in Germany, Neal hasn't shown any signs of slowing down and he's clearly having a blast starring for the NFL's most pleasant surprise. Assuming he continues to elevate his game as a leader for a suddenly stifling defense, he stands to earn a quality pay day as a restricted free agent in March and could play his way into Seattle's future plans even when Adams returns to health.
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Do-It-All Safety Ryan Neal Takes Surprising Star Turn Anchoring Revived Seahawks Defense - Sports Illustrated
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