The Tennessee Titans are hoping for a bounce-back season from cornerback L'Jarius Sneed. The two-time Super Bowl champion endured a nightmare debut campaign with the Titans in 2024 after being acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Sneed appeared in five contests before suffering a quad injury. It was considered a minor setback at the time. Sneed's quad injury proved to be far more complicated than initially believed, leading to him landing on season-ending IR.
Sneed was a non-participant at Titans OTAs. He was present, but wasn't medically cleared for physical contact. He also has a chronic knee injury that requires managing, and has been dealing with an off-field lawsuit this offseason.
The Titans are gathering this week for a three-day mandatory minicamp. Titans head coach Brian Callahan has already confirmed that Sneed still won't be physically participating. It's extremely concerning that Sneed is still dealing with the after-effects of a quad injury roughly eight months after it occurred.
L'Jarius Sneed is falling behind at Titans mandatory minicamp
The Titans have no choice but to conduct mandatory minicamp without one of their supposed star defenders on the field. Like it did for the majority of last season due to injuries, Dennard Wilson's defense will likely feature Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Darrell Baker Jr. at first-team cornerback. Roger McCreary is the nickel.
Sneed's absence means more reps for back-end cornerbacks. That should include sixth-round rookie Marcus Harris. The Titans signed a slew of undrafted cornerbacks. The most impressive to date has been former Iowa defender Jermari Harris.
The Titans must remain patient with Sneed's recovery. His bloated $76.4 million contract probably can't realistically be severed until at least next offseason, when they'd potentially save $11.9 million against the cap by releasing him. That appears to be an increasing possibility, but the better outcome would be Sneed recovering from injury and recapturing the form that made him such a desirable trade candidate last offseason.
Sneed is falling behind at mandatory minicamp (again). His recovery from a peculiar quad injury has been unpredictable and untimely. It's early, but the Titans sound panicked about Sneed.