NASHVILLE — According to a report from USA Today, the Tennessee Titans are one of seven teams to call the Kansas City Chiefs about CB L'Jarius Sneed. 

The Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Sneed, who was set to become a free agent this offseason, but the team is still open to trading the 27-year-old cornerback for the right price.

With Tennessee's need for a cornerback, trading for Sneed seems to be a route that is popular among Titans fans. But I think it would be a bad move for more reasons than one. 

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Injury Concerns

As I've covered in previous articles, Sneed had a lingering knee issue during the 2023 season that makes me weary about giving him a big contract. 

On the surface, Sneed has been durable. He has missed just three games in total since 2021, including two for personal reasons in 2021. Injuries have not kept him out of games recently. But that doesn't mean it won't be a problem in the future.

Charles Goldman of AtoZ Sports Kansas City's write-up on the history of Sneed's knee issues really raises a red flag for me.

"Sneed suffered a knee injury during the postseason run in the 2022-23 NFL season ahead of the AFC Championship Game. It caused him to be limited in practice leading up to that game, but it didn't seem to impact him much more.

Upon returning in the 2023 NFL offseason, Sneed still dealt with knee swelling. He missed a dozen days of training camp and all three preseason games while nursing that lingering injury.

The team remained steadfast in their belief that Sneed would be ready to play by Week 1 ,and he was. He was also listed on the injury report with said knee injury until Week 8, with several limited and full participation days in practice, but no games missed. He reappeared on the injury report again after the bye week in Week 10 with that same knee injury. The second stay on the injury report lasted through Week 16, at which point Sneed suffered a calf injury and was listed as questionable for Week 17.

He sat out during the team's Week 18 tilt with the Chargers as the team was locked into their seeding. The calf injury didn't impact him in the playoffs, but he was listed on the report throughout. The knee injury didn't appear to limit him in any way during the regular season as evidenced by his performance, but it's certainly something that teams are going to want to check out.

There's a variety of issues that can cause swelling, but if this is a long-term issue, it could impact how much teams are willing to offer in free agency. All of that said, the Chiefs did a good job of managing the injury this year, so it's reasonable that other teams could do the same. Without the proper background on the injury, signing him could prove to be a gamble."

– via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports Kansas City

Not only are we talking about signing a player with some injury red flags to a massive contract – A to Z Sports projects Sneed to a get a four-year, $64 million contract with $35 million in total guarantees – we're also looking at trading some valuable draft capital to make it happen.

I'm not sure that's the best course of action for the Titans with some other viable cornerback options on the market for much less.

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Draft Capital

The Titans do not currently have a third round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That means a trade with Kansas City for Sneed likely involves Tennessee's second-round selection, the 38th overall pick in the draft. I'd imagine that would at least be the asking price.

But if the Titans were to make such a deal, that would leave them with the 7th overall pick in the draft and…nothing until 100 picks later at 107 in the fourth round.

There has been a lot of speculation recently that the Titans could trade back from 7th overall to somewhere in the 11-13 range and add mid-round assets in the process. That's an idea that I am adamantly against, but you'd almost be forced to if you trade your second-rounder for Sneed.

I believe in the high-end talent in this year's draft class. Tennessee will have an opportunity to grab an elite wide receiver or offensive lineman if they stick and pick. If you trade down, there's a significant drop off in the type of prospect you can get, in my opinion. 

Titans fans, would you rather have L'Jarius Sneed for $65 million, JC Latham in the first round, and a worse Day 2 draft pick? Or a free agent like Kendall Fuller/Chidobe Awuzie, Rome Odunze in the first round, and the 38th pick? I'm taking the second option 10 times out of 10.

Tennessee would be much better off signing a free agent on the open market than they would be trading draft picks for a guy they'll have to pay big anyways. 

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