Report: Redskins signing undrafted Shepherd cornerback DeJuan Neal

The Washington Redskins are reportedly going to sign former Shepherd cornerback DeJuan Neal. Here’s what to know about the newest Redskin.

Throughout the NFL preseason, teams frequently make changes to their 90-man roster as injuries pop up and certainly players prove that they aren’t going to be making the final unit. Often, they are swapped out for other potential-packed players or local products who deserve a chance to prove themselves at the NFL level.

On Saturday afternoon, the Washington Redskins reportedly made one of these moves. They added a cornerback from Shepherd University to compete for a roster spot. His name is DeJuan Neal.

ESPN’s John Keim was the first to report that Neal was going to be signing with the Redskins.

In all likelihood, Neal will take the spot of the Redskins’ fourth-string quarterback Josh Woodrum. The former Liberty product suffered a pectoral injury in the team’s first preseason game and will likely be placed on IR or the team could reach an injury settlement with him. Either way, the team had a way to create an opening and it appears that they did or will take advantage of that.

While some may have wanted the ‘Skins to add another potential-packed fourth-string quarterback to perform mop-up work in the preseason — after all, they did work out Connor Cook on Saturday — they chose instead to add Neal.

Neal (6-foot-even, 190 pounds) has had plenty of college-level experience. He appeared in 43 games over four years at Shepherd and logged 95 tackles, 17 pass defenses, and three interceptions during his career.

On tape, Neal shows that he is a willing tackler and demonstrates solid coverage abilities. He has nice leaping ability that helps him to high-point the ball despite his average frame, so that could help him make some plays if he gets time in the preseason. Still, it seems likely that he will just serve as a camp body, as making the jump from Division II in such a tight window won’t prove to be easy.

Neal should get a chance to play if the Redskins do go through with this signing and if he outperforms expectations, he could end up competing for a practice squad spot. However, the team simply has too many options at corner for Neal to have a chance of making the 53-man roster unless he shows better than he did on tape. Swapping him for the injured Woodrum makes sense though, and it’s worth seeing what he can do with Washington.