Steve Spagnuolo: KC Chiefs ‘Think the World’ of L’Jarius Sneed

Spagnuolo has trusted Sneed to step up this season, and the fourth-year cornerback is rewarding the team's faith in him.

The Kansas City Chiefs' defense has been one of the NFL's very best this season, with all levels contributing to the tremendous year-over-year improvement.

After picking up multiple rookies in the 2022 NFL Draft and watching them play critical roles on a Super Bowl-winning team, Kansas City insulated the depth chart. Up front, defensive lineman Charles Omenihu adds to a formidable pass rush. In the linebacker room, Drue Tranquill is turning out to be one of the best value signings of the offseason for various reasons. At safety, Mike Edwards quickly earned the trust of the coaching staff and is now playing almost every snap due to an injury to Bryan Cook.

One of the main factors playing into the Chiefs' progress, though, is someone who's been on the team for years. Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed has blossomed into a full-fledged star, which is something his defensive coordinator is taking notice of.

Appearing on a recent episode of Green Light with former NFL defensive end Chris Long, Steve Spagnuolo gushed about his fourth-year defensive back. Referring to Sneed as a Pro Bowl-caliber corner, Spagnuolo went on to explain how important of a role Sneed is playing and how rare his versatility is. 

"He's a Pro Bowl player to me, Chris," Spagnuolo said. "If there's others that are out there that are better than him, I'd have to see it. I'm not studying defenses this time of the year. I do that in the offseason. We think the world of LJ. When you take a guy and put him on the best receiver every week, that tells you how we feel about him. I think if you go back — I don't churn through these stats — but I know that most of the time we've played an elite receiver, he's kind of kept them in check. And that helps us defensively.

"There isn't anything he can't do, Chris. He could be playing nickel and be blitzing every down and be making plays that way, but he's on the outside now because of some of the wide receivers we see. We commit him to helping us take that guy away. I'll tell you what, Chris, you don't see a lot of corners in this league that cover like LJ and play the run and tackle like he does. He had some outstanding tackles this past weekend up in New England. He had seven solos and two assisted tackles. He didn't have an interception and whatnot but to me, those things go unrecognized. You need guys like that to play good defense."

In a contract year, Sneed is picking a perfect time to turn in the best season of his career. Through 14 games, he's allowing a career-low completion percentage of 50.6 and is surrendering just a 55.5 passer rating when targeted. Among cornerbacks with at least 20% of maximum snaps played in the Pro Football Focus database, he's tied for eighth in passes broken up with nine and is tied for ninth in stops with 22. All of this comes while playing 99% of the Chiefs' available snaps on defense. 

Trent McDuffie thriving in the slot allows Kansas City to field Sneed almost exclusively as a boundary cornerback. Additionally, Spagnuolo and company have trusted him to shadow opposing No. 1 receivers. That faith is paying off, as Sneed is holding players like Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs and others to some of their worst performances of the year. As Spagnuolo mentioned, there isn't much he can't do.

With the new year and playoffs approaching, it's unclear whether the Chiefs will eventually ink Sneed to a long-term contract extension. On one hand, he's become a key part of the defense and is young enough to likely be worth whatever he gets paid. On the other hand, he's dealt with lingering knee issues for quite a while and is also likely to command a pretty penny on the open market while the team has other holes on the roster. Regardless of what happens with his future, it's clear that Kansas City loves him. Because of his ascension, it makes Spagnuolo's job a lot easier and a lot more fun.

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