Dallas Cowboys: 5 Dream targets in 2021 NFL free agency

4. Keanu Neal, Safety

Mike Nolan struggled in his first season as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, which led to his departure in the offseason. In his place will be Dan Quinn, who was let go as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. While it’s easy to pick on this hire since Quinn’s tenure in Atlante fizzled out so quickly, it’s actually a move that could pay off.

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Quinn was a huge part of building the Seattle defense that Dallas covets, serving as an assistant head coach and defensive line coach in 2009 and 2010 before heading to the University of Florida. He returned to Seattle in 2013 and was the defensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014 where he helped them win a Super Bowl.

He then took the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl in just his second season as their head coach and one of the primary reasons was the rise of their defense that season. Several young stars broke out, including rookie Keanu Neal. As a rookie, Neal had 106 tackles and five forced fumbles. He followed that up with 116 tackles in 2017 before struggling with health concerns.

Neal missed all but four games in 2018 and 2019 before returning to health in 2020 and recording 100 tackles for the third time in his career. Now a free agent, Neal might not be able to cash in yet due to his durability concerns. That could help Dallas land him on a one-year deal and he too could be willing to join the Cowboys since he will be familiar with the system Quinn runs.

In the end, this could be a win-win for the team and player.