ESPN’s Brady Henderson is reporting that Ryan Neal was hired by the Seattle Seahawks and will therefore be back for a third season in Seattle.
I was told that another exclusive rights-free agent that the Seahawks offered is back defender Ryan Neal. This was also expected. Neal made four appearances last season, while Jamal Adams was injured and had two interceptions, one of which sealed a victory over Dallas.
– Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) March 12, 2021
Neal was a key player at the Seahawks last season and started in four games. His biggest move of the season, as Henderson mentions in his tweet, was when he defeated Dak Prescott with less than a minute to seal a 7-point victory for the Seahawks over Cowboys Week 3.
Seattle has already signed contracts with three exclusive rights agents: Kyle Fuller, Bryan Mone and now also Ryan Neal. Running back Patrick Carr and defenders Jayson Stanley and Linden Stephens have yet to be hired.
Fuller, I was a little surprised, but Mone and Neal played important roles in the defense last year and their contracts did not surprise me. We are now just 5 days from the start of the free NFL agency on March 17th.