ATLANTA — ATLANTA–The Falcons experienced a bit of double jeopardy on Friday.
Less than 24 hours after their opening-night defeat to the Eagles, club officials announced that safety Keanu Neal has been lost for the season with a torn ACL.
Neal, a first-round pick from two years ago (17th overall), had been a rock-steady presence with the Falcons' revamped defense, featuring a deep 27-and-under nucleus of rush end Vic Beasley (20.5 sacks since 2016), defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, defensive end Takk McKinley, linebacker Deion Jones, linebacker De'Vondre Campbell and Pro Bowl cornerback Desmond Trufant, among others.
Since Neal (two-year average: 77 tackles, four forced fumbles, eight pass deflections) joined Atlanta, the Falcons have improved from a bottom-third to upper-echelon defense; and hopefully, he'll be at or near full strength when the 2019 season launches.
The loss of Neal will likely be filled by Damontae Kazee, who replaced Neal in Thursday's opener. Entering his second year in the pros, Kazee has essentially earned a battlefield promotion to a starting slot.
