Dolphins adding former Bills cornerback and special teams ace Siran Neal
The Dolphins bolstered their special teams on Wednesday by agreeing to a contract with Siran Neal, who was a standout special teams player for the Buffalo Bills.
Neal is the second Bills defensive back to commit to the Dolphins in the past 24 hours, following safety Jordan Poyer agreeing to a one-year deal with Miami on Tuesday.
Between 2018 and 2021, Neal’s 34 solo special teams tackles ranked third among all NFL players. From 2018 through last season, he’s 12th in total special teams tackles and first in special teams forced fumbles.
Last season, he ranked 48th with seven special teams tackles, per teamrankings.com.
Neal, 29, was a fifth-round selection out of Jacksonville State in 2018, initially coming to the NFL as a safety before moving to cornerback.
The 6-foot, 205-pound Neal played at least 240 special teams snaps in each of his six seasons in Buffalo.
On defense, Neal had 115 tackles in 97 games with the Bills, including four tackles for loss and a sack. He has played only 567 defensive snaps during those six seasons, including 63 and 45 the past two seasons. His only start came in 2019, his first season with Buffalo.
In 2022, he signed a three-year, $10.9 million deal that made him the NFL’s highest-paid special teams player at the time. But he was one of several Bills veterans released last week.
Bills coach Sean McDermott valued Neal’s versatility.
“[He’s] team first,” McDermott said in 2021. “Siran is a hungry guy. [He] comes every week [with a] kind of chip on his shoulder type approach with me against the world, which is what made him who he is.”
Neal could replace free agent cornerback Justin Bethel, who was a core special teams player last season. Linebacker Cameron Goode, another core special teams player last season, is in question for the start of next season because of a torn patellar tendon.
Neal becomes the sixth free agent to agree to terms with the Dolphins, joining linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Anthony Walker Jr.; tight end Jonnu Smith; center Aaron Brewer; outside linebacker Shaq Barrett and Poyer.
