Much of the same reasoning holds true in this case, even though Neal isn’t the icon Julio is. His body hasn’t been able to match the tenacity and pace with which the former Falcon played. The hits that Neal delivered in his early seasons and the plays the safety would make will stick in the minds of Falcons supporters.
Keanu has bounced around and ended up with three different teams since leaving Atlanta. Every one of them has ended in harm or with insufficient output. Things appeared to be getting better in Pittsburgh this year, but Neal is still far from the player he was when he first joined Atlanta. It is heartbreaking for a player whose career was cut short by injury and who never fully recovered to become the player he once was.
One more ex-Falcon who failed to have the anticipated impact in Tampa. Baker Mayfield managed to get his team into the playoffs, but he did so without one of their most talented receivers. After failing to reach a consensus with Tom Brady in 2022, Gauge missed the entirety season 2023 due to an injury. If he can stay healthy, it will be challenging for the former Falcon to find the same number of targets he had in Atlanta.
