Why the Chiefs are excited for life without L'Jarius Sneed

Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo helped L’Jarius Sneed develop into a lockdown cornerback in 2023.

Sneed entered the league as a safety when he was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He began his transition to cornerback by playing in the slot in nickel packages. In 2023, Sneed moved to the perimeter and put together his best season in the final year of his rookie contract. Sneed didn't surrender a single touchdown as the nearest defender in coverage on 90 targets in 2023, per NFL Next Gen Stats. He allowed a league-low 27.7 completion percentage on passes that traveled 10 or more air yards.

Sneed’s performance was a large factor in Kansas City’s consecutive Super Bowl championship. With a sputtering offense, the Chiefs leaned on their defense to carry the team to glory in the postseason. The stellar season put Sneed out of Kansas City’s budget, and he was traded to the Tennessee Titans during the offseason.

Sneed has been excited about his opportunity in Tennessee, and he has even taken subtle shots at the Chiefs roster in the process. But that doesn’t mean Kansas City necessarily misses him either. 

Chiefs secondary is still confident after losing L’Jarius Sneed 

Following Sneed’s departure, the Chiefs defense will feature Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, and Joshua Williams as the top three cornerbacks, along with safeties Justin Reid and Bryan Cook at safety. 

During Kansas City’s voluntary offseason team activities, the Chiefs secondary expressed confidence in their ability to step up in Sneed’s absence.

“We all love [Sneed],” McDuffie said. “We’re disappointed to see him go, but also excited for his new journey. For us, it just allows new guys to step up and take on a bigger role. I’ve got to step up and be more of a leader. That’s exciting for me. I’ve had to speak up a little bit, especially with the rookies coming in and trying to learn this playbook.”

While Sneed garnered most of the attention for his performance, McDuffie was no slouch either. The third-year cornerback was a first-team All-Pro with the versatility to play from various positions in Spagnuolo’s defense. In 2023, he recorded five forced fumbles, seven pass breakups, three sacks and nine quarterback hits.

Still, McDuffie will have to take another step forward when he’s expected to fill Sneed’s role of shadowing the opposing offense’s top wide receiver. He recently told reporters that he’s excited for the challenge.

“I don’t know if it’s a need, but it’s definitely something that, as a competitor, it’s 100 percent what I want to do, getting to line up against the best receivers each week,” McDuffie said. “That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing.”

McDuffie expects his role to be more versatile than Sneed’s role was, however. Spagnuolo’s defense deploys exotic blitz packages, and not knowing where McDuffie is going to line up could cause headaches for opposing offenses. The Chiefs defense frequently used cornerback blitzes from the edge, and McDuffie led all defensive backs with 14 unblocked pressures in 2023. 

“We’ve got the greatest on the planet that we get to go against, and it makes us better,” linebacker Nick Bolton said of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “We’re talking about certain stuff (between repetitions) that he sees from us and whether he knows we’re bringing blitzes or certain disguises that aren’t very good and he can read them out. We’re growing in that department. Our backend is going to get tested every single (practice) and we love it.”

Despite their optimism, the defense will have a tough time replicating last season’s performance. In 2023, the Chiefs allowed the fewest second-half points (126) and the second-fewest points per game (17.3) in the league.

Kansas City’s offseason focused on bolstering the offensive unit. Along with Sneed, the Chiefs defense also lost linebackers Willie Gay and safety Mike Edwards during the offseason. Defensive tackle Chris Jones will be 30 years old and defensive end Charles Omenihu is still recovering from a torn ACL. 

Potential struggles at defensive line and linebacker could result in less pressure on the opposing quarterback, which would consequently put more pressure on the Chiefs secondary.