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Atlanta Falcons rookie safety Keanu Neal suffered a knee injury Aug. 25 in a preseason game and had been out ever since. He had surgery but is now ready to return to the field.

Continue for updates.

Neal Active vs. Saints

Monday, Sept. 26

The Falcons announced Neal was ready to play on Monday against New Orleans.

Latest on Neal's Practice Status

Thursday, Sept. 22

The Falcons announced Neal was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Neal Comments on Return to Practice

Thursday, Sept. 22

Quinn Comments on Neal's Surgery

Monday, Aug. 29

Falcons head coach Dan Quinn told reporters Neal's surgery "went well" but that he hasn't had a chance to speak with him yet.

Rookie Neal Among NFL's Most Promising Defensive Backs

Neal, 21, was the No. 17 overall pick by the Falcons in this year's draft, and the expectation was that he would immediately compete for a starting safety gig.

Neal didn't disappoint. He immediately began impressing the coaches over the summer, as defensive coordinator Richard Smith told Andrew Hirsh of the team's official website on July 3:

I’ll tell you what, I’ve been very impressed with (Neal). He’s extremely focused, he’s very mature, he’s very, very talented. I love his demeanor and his work ethic. He’s the first one in the building trying to get more coaching; he wants to be coached so much. I think he’s going to be pretty special. We can bring him on pressures, we can drop him into coverage, he can man up—so it’s a really good addition. More importantly, I love his maturity and how important it is to him as a young guy.

He joined a promising young secondary that includes shutdown cornerback Desmond Trufant and Ricardo Allen, who was recently converted to free safety. While the Falcons didn't need to rush Neal into the starting role, it became clear pretty quickly that Neal was up for the challenge and was the team's best option at strong safety.

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His combination of size, physicality and athleticism makes him both dangerous in the box in run support and capable of covering tight ends and running backs in the passing game. And he's a bone-jarring hitter, so he'll add some toughness to Atlanta's defense.

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