Titans’ experience with L’Jarius Sneed shouldn’t dissuade Mike Borgonzi from pilfering Chiefs’ defensive back room in 2026

When the Tennessee Titans traded for former Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed in 2024, it was actually Titans executive Chad Brinker and Chiefs executive Mike Borgonzi who hammered out the specifics of the trade. That move has proven to be… well, disastrous. Sneed hasn’t played at an elite level, and more importantly, he hasn’t been available most of the time.

The irony, of course, is that Borgonzi went from the guy selling Sneed off to the guy saddled with the big fat contract Ran Carthon gave him within a matter of months. He’s the GM Brinker hired in 2025 to fix the Titans roster, and a massive area of focus now is that cornerback position. Not only is Sneed proving himself unable to be in the future plans of this team, but the Titans have traded their other two preseason starters at corner this season too. So Borgonzi has his work cut out for him in that position room.

And while it may feel like begging history to repeat itself, there are options on the Chiefs roster that Borgonzi knows well and could look to acquire in the new year.

There are three Chiefs defensive backs that could land with a new team after the 2025 season: Jaylen Watson, Josh Williams, and Bryan Cook. Mike Borgonzi will have a whole league’s worth of DB free agents to consider in the spring, but it stands to reason he has the best understanding of these three from his time in that building. I reached out to A to Z Sports Chiefs writer Charles Goldman for his two cents on each of these defenders. Here’s what he had to say:

Jaylen Watson: Watson just might be the most underrated piece to the Chiefs’ three-year run from 2022-2024. He’s been the one constant the team has had in the secondary opposite Trent McDuffie at the outside cornerback spot. I often think back to his first career interception in 2023, which was a 99-yard return for a touchdown that single-handedly won the game against the division rival Los Angeles Chargers. He’s started 22 career regular-season games and has appeared in 46. If the Chiefs didn’t have so many pieces from their 2022 draft class to pay, I have zero doubts in my mind that Watson would be a priority. The success of Nohl Williams makes Watson expendable as a free agent, which means some team out there will capitalize and pay the former seventh-round pick out of Washington State.

Josh Williams: Williams has seen his role reduced in Kansas City, but he still has the physical talent and skillset to be a starter in this league. I’m convinced that had he timed a few plays better earlier during his career, he would be playing defense for the Chiefs instead of special teams. He has the size, speed, and coverage ability to match up with the NFL’s big-play receivers. His problem is locating and making a play on the football when it’s in the air, which has led to some bad penalties and receptions allowed. He was always going to have a longer development track, being drafted out of Fayetteville State. He’s only started 12 regular-season games, but he’s appeared in 58. He feels like someone who could have a long NFL career if he finds a landing spot that can handle the ups and downs, knowing he’s always at least in a position to make a play.

Bryan Cook: He’s started 38 games across four seasons in Kansas City so far. He suffered a pretty substantial ankle injury 12 games into what was a breakout 2023 NFL season. He got back the following year, but it took him until 2025 to really look like himself on the field again. He’s missed a single tackle, broken up two passes, and has allowed just nine receptions for 89 yards and a score this season. He’s the player who has really stepped up in place of Justin Reid as the leader in the secondary for Kansas City. Still, they’ve got a trio of cheaper and younger guys in Chamarri Conner, Jaden Hicks, and Chris Roland-Wallace, which makes me believe they’ll probably let Cook walk in free agency.