Of the many offseason additions to the Kansas City Chiefs' cornerback room, the comeback of L'Jarius Sneed might be the most overlooked.
Sneed's return to Kansas City this offseason is easy to miss in the larger conversation. The departures of All-Pro Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson deserved attention. The Chiefs' decision to trade up to No. 6 overall for Mansoor Delane is a major news story. Given the overall turnover involving so many new faces—from free agents like Kader Kohou and Kaiir Elam and rookies like Jadon Canady—it makes sense that perhaps Sneed's attempt to turn things around after two years in Tennessee might sneak under the radar in terms of plot lines.
First of all, Sneed didn't sign with the Chiefs until early June, when overall NFL chatter is at its lowest point in the calendar year. Second, Sneed needed considerable time to get himself game-ready throughout minicamp and training camp in St. Joseph. Third, Sneed has appeared in 12 games with minimal impact over the last two years. In short, Sneed came back to K.C. already removed from the discussion.
On Friday, however, in the Chiefs' preseason finale against the visiting Seattle Seahawks, Sneed took his first preseason reps, a major step forward toward regular-season readiness. For a cornerback room that's light on experience, that's a major development for the Chiefs, and after the game, head coach Andy Reid made it clear he was glad for the veteran corner.
"Wasn't that great to see him out there? I mean, he's battled through a couple of things injury-wise and I was proud of him. He wanted to be out there. He got himself back into football shape over camp and then the last couple of weeks here. Then he was able to get out there and perform and do a nice job. He was so excited to get out there again. I think he physically feels good, and that was important to be able to get him to that spot."Andy Reid
For the last two seasons, Sneed has battled quad/knee injuries to stay on the field, limited to a total of 662 snaps since 2023. His entire Titans career featured two-thirds of the reps he played in his final season in Kansas City, a miserable return for Tennessee who not only flipped a third-round pick to the Chiefs for his services in '24 but then served up a lucrative four-year contract—of which Sneed pocketed more than $43 million before being released.
Sneed's homecoming this offseason wasn't met with much fanfare because of reduced exxpectations of the last two years. Sneed's knees were an issue even in K.C., but the team's training staff had a routine that kept him available on game days. Now that same staff is tasked with his preparedness once again, which might be a key to unlocking some echo of the lockdown corner he was before the trade to Nashville.
Interestingly, Sneed played snaps at nickel corner against the Seahawks, so it's possible the Chiefs are reimagining his role, since age and injuries might keep him from being the same caliber of player outside. It's also true that K.C. already has some exciting boundary players in Nohl Williams, Mansoor Delane, and Kristian Fulton.
That Sneed was able to play before the preseason slate was finished is an encouraging sign. It's not yet known just where or how much he will play this year for the Chiefs, but his signing was the cherry on top of an offseason spent retooling the secondary. His experience and leadership will be part of the influence, with the chance to also see him contribute in a meaningful way on the field in a group that's looking stronger than expected given all the changes.
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