L'Jarius Sneed Plus Chidobe Awuzie Plus Dennard Wilson Equal Great Expectations for Tennessee Titans Pass Defense

It's a reasonable expectation that a Tennessee Titans pass defense that has finished in the bottom half of the NFL for five consecutive years should improve dramatically.

Tennessee Titans new free-agent corner back Chidobe Awuzie fields questions at Ascension Saint / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA

NASHVILLE — Tuesday's acquisition of Super Bowl champion cornerback L'Jarius Sneed has transformed the Tennessee Titans secondary into one of the strongest positions on the team depth chart.

Here are some of the raves among NFL observers:

"Pairing Sneed with free-agent addition Chidobe Awuzie turns something that was a weakness for the Titans last season into a strength this year. Tennessee should be able to play much more physically in new DC Dennard Wilson's scheme with the two veterans on the back end."
— Kevin Patra, NFL.com 

"This is a massive win for the Titans. They land an elite player at a premium position for a future third-round pick. Sneed, 27, is just entering his prime and should make an impact for several years."
— The Athletic

"Sneed started his career as a slot cornerback but shifted outside. He also was an adept blitzer off the edge, which (Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve) Spagnuolo took advantage of often. Sneed was a good cover corner who wasn't afraid to tackle (he had 108 tackles in 2022). ... Sneed also made one of the biggest plays of the Chiefs dynasty. In the fourth quarter of last season's AFC championship game, he punched out a ball from Baltimore Ravens receiver Zay Flowers right before Flowers crossed the goal line. The Chiefs recovered and went on to win."
— Yahoo! Sports

In short, add Sneed and Awuzie with new coordinator Dennard Wilson and it's a reasonable expectation that a Titans pass defense that has finished in the bottom half of the NFL for five consecutive years should improve dramatically.

Since the beginning of NFL free agency on March 13, Titans general manager Ran Carthon has signed nine new players. Six of those athletes are expected to be starters, including Awuzie and Sneed.

With so much turnover this offseason, AllTitans.com will periodically examine each position group — offensive and defensive lines, linebackers, and so on — to assess the changes to the Titans' depth chart leading up to the 2024 kickoff.

Here's a look at the depth chart for the Titans secondary. For this exercise, we're counting nickel or slot as a starting position.

Starters
RCB: L'Jarius Sneed
LCB: Chidobe Awuzie
Nickel: Roger McCreary
Strong Safety: Amani Hooker
Free Safety: Elijah Molden

Reserves
CB Eric Garror, CB Tre Avery, CB Caleb Farley, CB Anthony Kendall, CB Tay Gowan, FS Shyheim Carter, SS Matthew Jackson

Sneed, who signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract on Tuesday, was a key player for the Kansas City Chiefs in their back-to-back Super Bowl victories. In 2020, he was selected in the fourth round of the draft from Louisiana Tech. Since then, he has played in 57 games, starting 54. His career numbers are: 10 interceptions, 40 passes defended, 6.5 sacks, and 303 tackles.

During the 2023 season, Sneed did not allow a touchdown in coverage.

Awuzie, 28, who signed a three-year, $36-million contract, has played in 86 career games, with 74 starts. In his last three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Awuzie broke up 25 passes and intercepted two passes in 37 games played, including 32 starts.

"He's physical," Carthon told tennesseetitans.com at the NFL owners meetings. "He's a grown man, hyper-competitive, great leadership, has played a ton of ball, played in a lot of high-impact games. He's the guy that comes in and helps rebuild your culture."

Awuzie, Sneed, and McCreary have the potential to be one of the best cornerback trios in the league. Molden and Hooker are more than capable as safeties, which gives the Titans a position of strength in the backfield under Dennard Wilson, who earned his coordinator promotion by coaching league-leading pass defenses in Philadelphia and Baltimore.

Related Titans stories

• CARTHON PAUSES TO TAKE INVENTORY: After 8 free-agent signings and a big trade, Titans general manager Ran Carthon said they will focus now on the April 25-27 NFL Draft. But the Titans have cap space and are still capable of signing players off the open market. CLICK HERE
• CHECKING IN ON OFFENSIVE LINE: New coach (Bill Callahan), new center (Lloyd Cushenberry), and more to come. It's possible, if not likely, that the Tennessee Titans offensive line will have two or more new starters come September. CLICK HERE
• CHECKING IN ON LINEBACKERS: Kenneth Murray is a sure thing, but the depth chart has holes to fill. CLICK HERE