New Titans CB L'Jarius Sneed was even better than most realize in 2023
NASHVILLE — L'Jarius Sneed had a really impressive season in 2023 that landed him a new contract with the Tennessee Titans worth $76 million over four years. That makes Sneed one of the highest paid cornerbacks in the sport. Sneed did not have the flashy interception numbers of Daron Bland or the PFF grade of […]
NASHVILLE — L'Jarius Sneed had a really impressive season in 2023 that landed him a new contract with the Tennessee Titans worth $76 million over four years. That makes Sneed one of the highest paid cornerbacks in the sport.
Sneed did not have the flashy interception numbers of Daron Bland or the PFF grade of Jaylon Johnson. But the 27-year-old did have a much better season than I think he is given credit for.
Between his consistent coverage and the level of competition he faced, L'Jarius Sneed was even better than most realize in 2023.
Among NFL cornerbacks who played 80 percent of coverage snaps in 2023, Sneed was the 3rd best in catch rate allowed. Opposing receivers caught just 51.9 percent of passes thrown to them. The only cornerbacks better in that area were Akhello Witherspoon and Patrick Peterson.
Sneed was also 3rd best in receiving yards allowed (406) behind Peterson and Sauce Gardner.
From those numbers alone, Sneed seems to be worth the contract the Titans are paying him. But let's also consider the wide receivers he was forced to match up with. Sneed was the CB1 for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who played one of the league's toughest schedules.
Sneed had to match up with players like Justin Jefferson, Garrett Wilson, Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, A.J. Brown, D.J. Moore, Ja'Marr Chase, Brandon Aiyuk, and Davante Adams last season. Name a good wide receiver in the NFL, and there's a good chance Sneed was guarding him at some point in 2023.
Sneed is battle tested. There's no debating that. He also made some clutch plays for the Chiefs defense in the AFC Playoffs that helped propel them to back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
The Titans now have a lockdown corner that can matchup with any WR1 from around the NFL and hold his own. That's a huge luxury for this defense in 2024. Is it enough to make the Titans competitive? I still have my doubts. But this was a really big swing by Ran Carthon and Brian Callahan that could end up being a home run if everything clicks.
The pros and cons of the Titans trade for star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed
The good and the bad from the Titans trade for CB L’Jarius Sneed
