Although the Cowboys agreed to terms with Keanu Neal last month, the veteran defender officially signed his contract on Wednesday at The Star in Frisco.
Neal took longer than most players to sign the papers, mainly because he wasn't cleared to fly for a few weeks following a minor procedure on his ear. Once he was cleared this week, Neal was able to show up, take his physical and sign the dotted line as a member of the Cowboys.
He wear No. 42 for the Cowboys, but a bigger question involving Neal is where and how he will line up.
Head coach Mike McCarthy said in his press conference a few weeks ago that Neal would "start out" as a linebacker, although he's been listed as a safety in Dan Quinn's defensive scheme in Atlanta.
Neal actually made the Pro Bowl in 2017, one of three seasons in which he played the majority of the season and recorded over 100 tackles. However, Neal has missed most of two other years of his career, causing teams to have their doubts about his durability.
Last season, he had 100 tackles, playing 15 games to go along with a sack and fumble recovery.
It'll be interesting to see how Quinn uses Neal for this defense, which is expected to have some flexibility in the 4-3 and 3-4 schemes.
