The Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers are set to fight for the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday, but Tennessee Titans fans shouldn't be too concerned about who wins.
Whether you are pulling for Taylor Swift or if you have Chiefs fatigue, the question that Titans fans should be asking themselves is what outcome helps your team the most? Since neither of these teams are in the AFC South and there really isn't a rivalry issue with either team, it all comes down to free agency.
There are nearly 50 impending free agents between these two teams, and the Titans are set to have more money than anyone else in free agency, so there is a good chance that at least one of these players ends up on the roster next season.
After sifting through both rosters, there are some compelling players to consider. Chris Jones is a superstar at defensive tackle and he held out a game before playing for the Chiefs this season, so it is fair to wonder what his future looks like in Kansas City. How nice would it be to see a defensive line with Harold Landry, Denico Autry (if he comes back), Arden Key, Jeffery Simmons, and Chris Jones?
Donovan Smith isn't great, but he is a solid left tackle and that alone would be a massive upgrade for the Tennessee Titans after the last few years.
Chase Young has shown flashes and finally seems healthy after a debacle in Washington. So far his career is really similar to Jadeveon Clowney's, which should be interesting to Titans fans. No, not because of Clowney's short time with the Titans, but because Clowney just had a career year on a defense coached, in part, by Dennard Wilson. Could Young get a similar spike in production working with Wilson?
The San Francisco 49ers would never give him up, but it would be very interesting to see Jauan Jennings with the Tennessee Titans. The days of the run-first offense are hopefully gone in Tennessee, but the Titans could use some physicality on their roster and no one in the NFL is more physical than Jennings.
However, none of those players is the most intriguing player. That honor belongs to cornerback L'Jarius Sneed.
Signing Sneed would be massive for the Tennessee Titans
Sneed has been one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL over the last two years, and he is a perfect fit for what the Tennessee Titans need on defense. New DC, Dennard Wilson, comes from the Gregg Williams/Todd Bowles school of defense, which means that the Titans are going to be blitzing significantly more than they have in nearly a decade (Bowles had the third-highest blitz rate in the NFL last year).
The Chiefs had a whopping 32.9% blitz rate last year, which was the sixth-highest in the NFL, so Sneed has shown that he can handle that responsibility. Since the Tennessee Titans could potentially need to replace both boundary corners his offseason, having Sneed join the mix would make life so much easier for Brian Callahan and the coaching staff.
One more thing to keep in mind, Dennard Wilson is one of the best DB coaches in the NFL and he has made good players great and great players Pro Bowlers. With Sneed having the versatility to play inside or outside, it gives Wilson the freedom to get a good look at Roger McCreary.
McCreary thrived in the slot this season, but I still think that he can be a good outside corner in the NFL with the right coaching staff. Having Sneed and McCreary would give Dennard Wilson the freedom to get creative with his coverages and it would give him the chance to explore every option in the secondary.
The Chiefs aren't in cap trouble, but we have seen them move on from good player in the past like when they traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. They believe that they can find and develop players well, and they aren't afraid to move on if they think that someone is overvaluing their services.
Enjoy the big game, but keep an eye on Sneed when the Chiefs are on defense because this might be the last game that he plays in a Kansas City Chiefs jersey.