Ryan Neal made his NFL career the hard way, going undrafted out of Southern Illinois in 2018.
The 27-year-old played in just one game in his first season in Atlanta. Moving to Seattle in 2019, he saw action just three times. Year 3, he became a special teams player, rotational safety and spot starter (four games). 2021 brought a similar story.
Last season, though, Jamal Adams' injury opened the door for a starting gig in Seattle. Neal walked through it.
The safety played in 14 games, starting 10, generating one interception, eight passes defended and 66 tackles. He ranked as PFF's No. 4 overall safety, among players with at least 250 snaps, and third in coverage.
A restricted free agent, the Seahawks gave Neal a $2.63 million tender, and it appeared he'd continue his upward trend in Seattle. But after the Seahawks signed Julian Love, the club rescinded the tender, making him a free agent.
He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday, where he'll have a clear shot at earning a starting role alongside Antoine Winfield Jr.
"It was definitely appealing," Neal said Thursday, via Pewter Report. "My goal is to show the league that I'm a legit starter. I've been to Seattle the last couple of years, had my chance to flash and show. Last year was really big and this year I just want to make that set in stone.
"Set the statement (that) I'll start at safety. I want to come here and add value to the defense, you never want to take away from a room, you always want to add to it. Can't wait to meet my teammates, the rest of my coaches, any way I can add value. That's my whole goal this year.
Neal got the chance last year to be a full-time starter thanks to injury. With Adams returning, he could have been squeezed back into a rotational role. Now in Tampa, he's prepared to show last season wasn't a blip.
Despite how things went down in Seattle, with the Seahawks brass essentially choosing Love over him, Neal said he has no hard feelings.
"I've got nothing but love for [the Seahawks] over there," he said via the Bucs official team website. "Sometimes you just may not be part of the future plans and that's just the way the business goes. Like I said, I'm glad to be here -- the opportunity to come here, you couldn't say no to it. It's a blessing to be here and all I plan on doing is bringing my piece to the table and trying to find a way to enhance this team, this defense -- whatever I'm asked to do, just find a way to make it better. I'm excited to be here and glad to do that."
