Siran Neal played 373 of his 431 snaps on special teams in 2024.
The San Francisco 49ers are expected to sign free agent defensive back Siran Neal to a two-year contract, according to a report by NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe. Neal spent the last season with the Miami Dolphins but played with the Buffalo Bills for the first six seasons of his career. While Neal will provide some depth in the secondary, he is more well-known for his acumen as a special teams ace.
Neal was a fifth-round pick out of Jacksonville St. by the Bills back in 2018. For the next six seasons, Neal was a mainstay in the bottom of Buffalo’s secondary depth chart. In every season of his career, Neal has played on at least 57% of his team’s special teams snaps.
Neal spent the majority of his time playing on special teams in Miami last season. Of his 431 snaps in 2024, 373 of those came on special teams. The former fifth-round pick from the Buffalo Bills played on every kick coverage unit. He recorded 11 tackles and two passes defended.
When Neal was called upon to play defense, it was sparingly. Thirteen snaps was the most he played on defense for Miami in 2024 — as a slot cornerback in Week 13. Even in a meaningless Week 18 game, Neal only saw the defensive field for six snaps.
As it stands, the 49ers appear to have their depth spots at cornerback filled. Neal joins Tre Tomlinson and Tre Brown as external signings, although there is still a hole on the roster unless the 49ers are rolling with one of their new free agents or Darrell Luter Jr. opposite of Renardo Green since Deommodore Lenoir plays nickel.