Over the past few weeks, the Miami Dolphins have been aggressively bringing in free agents to cover some of the voids created by players who departed the organization this offseason.
Siran Neal, a cornerback, is a recent free agency acquisition who will mostly affect the game’s third unit, special teams.
Since joining the league in 2018, Neal has ranked first in forced fumbles and 12th in special teams tackles, according ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.
Why did Neal choose to sign with Miami, even if the stats indicate that he has been one of the league’s top shooters?
“It can be a little difficult to decide whether to sign with the Dolphins or the NFL in general,” Neal remarked. Everything is based on relationships. I’m from Buffalo, and I adore Buffalo. I want to thank Buffalo for everything that they’ve done for me over the last six years. It improved our bond with one other. Danny Crossman was more happy to see me than I had ever seen, and I was grateful for the chance to come down and chat to him about everything. His countenance brightened when I opened the door. He did that as soon as I got in the door, to start. All I knew was that he was glad to see me. He exerted all of his willpower to get me. It was one of my favorite things about it.
“Once I saw that, I knew that if he was going to fight for me, I would do whatever it took to defend him when it came time for kickoff, the start of the season, or even OTAs when we had to report back.”
Given that both Neal and Crossman were in Buffalo in 2018, their relationship has a long history. Crossman was in his last season leading the team’s special teams as coordinator, while Neal was still a rookie.
Even though it was only a year, Crossman had an obvious influence on the cornerback.
“My boy, Danny,” Neal declared. “My first year, I came in with Buffalo and had Danny.” Danny also has a great deal of passion for coaching. He is a huge fan of the game. He truly enjoys his role as coach and has a deep affection for his athletes. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed throughout the years between Danny and me; we remained close throughout the entire process. As I mentioned to him yesterday, I always wanted to see what he would say at the end of the game and make him grin every time we played him. One thing I kept under wraps was that. Every time I played him, I knew he would give it to me and I would give it to him.
Miami’s two best shooters from the previous season, Justin Bethal and Keion Crossen, who was sidelined for the entirety of 2023 due to an injury, are currently unrestricted free agents. Neal will have a lot of pressure to produce in his role if the Dolphins don’t bring one of them back, but with his coordinator’s support, he’ll be up to the challenge.