The 49ers’ secondary has witnessed plenty of turnover during free agency, and another new face is incoming. Veteran corner and special teams ace Siran Neal is finalizing a two-year deal with San Francisco, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports. The move is now official.
Neal has spent his entire career in the AFC East to date, playing with the Bills from 2018-23 and then the Dolphins last season. He has made 114 appearances, but only handled one start during that time. Neal logged a career-high 84% snap share on special teams in 2024, but Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes the Dolphins did not make a serious push to retain him.
On Monday, Miami worked out a deal with fellow veteran corner Artie Burns. The former first-rounder has not developed as hoped on defense, but he will be able to contribute on special teams. Provided he does so, he will help replace the third phase contributions lost by Neal’s departure.
The 30-year-old has handled triple-digit snaps on defense only three times so far in his career (and not since 2021). Neal has logged more than 2,000 special teams snaps, however, and remaining a core player in that regard will no doubt be the expectation upon arrival in San Francisco. Improving in the third phase will be a goal for new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer in particular and the 49ers in general for 2025.
San Francisco has lost cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Talanoa Hufanga to the Broncos on the open market, adding the likes of Tre Brown and Richie Grant as low-cost options who could replace them to an extent on defense. The team’s secondary will now include Neal as well next season.
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