One of the specialty positions that the Kansas City Chiefs defense has struggled to find the right guy for a couple of years now has been the slot corner spot. At their best, the Chiefs secondary was arguably the best unit across the NFL in 2022 and '23. Trent McDuffie instantly became one of the best CBs in football, Jaylen Watson was a home run of a seventh-round pick, and L'Jarius Sneed was right in line with McDuffie as an elite top-tier corner for a two-year span.
The Chiefs then dipped in 2024 when they traded Sneed to the Tennessee Titans for a third-round pick due to concerning knee deterioration, and the pass-rush from the front four fell off a cliff. This posed an issue for the secondary, as they had to sacrifice one position, the nickel/slot, for strong boundary corner play because they simply didn't have enough talent to man the job.
Now heading into the 2026 season, the Chiefs backend underwnet major reconstructive surgery. Brett Veach made a bold move to trade McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a bevy of draft picks and cap flexibility. Veach also opted to let Jaylen Watson walk in free agency.
The versatile Sneed seems to have found a new role in a familer home heading into 2026 season
The hope now is that the outside corners are that second-year man Nohl Williams ascends from a strong rookie season into stardom and that sixth-overall pick Mansoor Delane is a day-one lockdown player. As for the slot, the Chiefs made a variety of moves to strengthen the depth there. Who has separated himself from the pack is returning veteran L'Jarius Sneed, who, if healthy, might once again be one head of a three-headed dragon that makes up an elite Chiefs secondary once again.
“Arguably one of the best corners in the league when he left here, and now that he's back healthy and going, I mean, I'd tell ya, he's playing like that right now.”
— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) September 2, 2026
Andy Reid on CB L'Jarius Sneed pic.twitter.com/Hib9lW289C
During Sneed's two-year stint in Tennessee, he played in just 12 games and amassed just under 50 total tackles without recording a single interception. While his coverage was solid, the pieces around Sneed were, let's just say, less than complementary.
However, with a full offseason under his belt to get healthy, Sneed, according to reports from training camp and Reid himself, looks like his old self. Now, some of that is certainly coach speak. Chances that the 29-year-old Sneed with compromised knees looks like the 2023 version of himself are slim. But his role within the defense isn't as paramount.
Steve Spagnuolo has enjoyed utilizing Sneed in the as opposed to outside. This gives Sneed more avenues to make an impact that don't always require him to be a shutdown corner. He's an excellent tackler and can blitz with the best of them, as shown by the 3.5 sacks he had during the 2022 season.
And with the depth of fourth-round rookie Jadon Canady behind Sneed, it forces Chamarri Conner back into his natural role as safety, rounding out a back end that cannot be taken advantage of, as it was at times last year. For a Chiefs fanbase that has continuously warned about this team signing retread players, most everybody seems on board with the Sneed return and adding a couple more Super Bowl rings back onto the defense.
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