Chiefs Confident in CBs but ‘Hard to Replace’ L’Jarius Sneed

Kansas City likes the mix of cornerback options it has in OTAs, although the club doesn't believe there's a direct replacement for L'Jarius Sneed.

Jan 13, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (38) and cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) break up a pass intended for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) during the second half of the 2024 AFC wild card game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Even during the OTA period of the offseason, most NFL clubs have a good idea of what their respective rosters will look like later on. While some spots are up for grabs and the depth chart is far from finalized, entrenched players know what will be asked of them.

Departed players, either via trade or free agency, do make things interesting though. For the Kansas City Chiefs, former cornerback L'Jarius Sneed fits the bill perfectly.

Sneed turned in an excellent 2023-24 campaign for Kansas City, helping buoy one of the best defenses in the sport. While on the franchise tag, however, the club opted to trade him for draft capital and salary cap relief this offseason. A Pro Bowl-level hole exists at the cornerback position, with star Trent McDuffie and some unproven surrounding talent left to pick up the pieces.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was asked if McDuffie was Sneed's replacement. He indicated that there's no one to do that directly, although the Chiefs will sort everything out in the coming weeks.

"We'll see," Spagnuolo said. "I don't think anybody's going to replace LJ Sneed. I thought LJ had a remarkable year in everything he did. But there are some shoes there to fill. Whether we do it with one person or two people or shift guys around, we'll see. We've got a long way to go to figure that out. We've got guys that aren't out there yet — NJ (Nazeeh Johnson), Jaylen (Watson) — so that's one thing we've got to be concerned about."

Just last week, McDuffie himself spoke about his need to emerge as a leader in the post-Sneed era. Spagnuolo notes that he's an option to play Sneed's old spot on the outside, leaving someone like Chamarri Conner or Nic Jones to work from the slot. As the month of May comes to a close, that situation remains fluid.

Defensive backs coach Dave Merritt, who grew close with Sneed since he joined the team in 2020, doubled down on Spagnuolo's remarks. While maintaining confidence in its current group to fulfill obligations in a new-look fashion, Kansas City doesn't think there's a way or need to produce the next Sneed.

"I don't think you can," Merritt said. "It's almost like trying to replace Michael Jordan. I'm not comparing him to Michael Jordan, but that type of skill set LJ Sneed had was his skill set. The physicality, the ability to be able to lock down a wide receiver, that's hard to replace. But at the same time, you have other young men who have skill sets that they're going to be able to step up and be able to showcase. Hopefully, these young men can go out and just learn something from what LJ had in his game and add a little bit of that into their game. But it's hard to replace a player like that."

In year No. 4, Sneed was a true shutdown cornerback on the boundary. Slowing down the likes of Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, Stefon Diggs and more, he broke out in a contract year. The Tennessee Titans have since rewarded him for those efforts, but his previous organization isn't forgetting the impact he made on his teammates and the franchise as a whole.

Watson and Joshua Williams make sense as longer players who aren't afraid to be physical. McDuffie is on the more compact side, albeit still feisty in his own right. He received league-wide accolades for his sophomore performance, which isn't lost on anyone.

That includes Merritt. Even if it's in an unorthodox fashion, he thinks McDuffie will help lead the charge in piecing everything together post-Sneed.

"McDuffie, last year, he was first-team All-Pro," Merritt said. "He doesn't need to do anything, he doesn't need to try to become a LJ Sneed. I think Trent is going to do well with his role and what he's been doing."

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