The Chiefs’ defensive coaches discuss the difficulty of replacing Sneed after trading him to the Titans this offseason.
The Kansas City Chiefs are navigating a significant transition in their secondary after the big offseason trade, which sent cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans. Sneed anchored the team’s defensive backfield, amassing 10 interceptions, 40 passes defended, and 303 combined tackles since being drafted by the team in 2020.
His versatility and ability to shut down the opposing team’s No. 1 wide receiver make him difficult to replace, as emphasized by Chiefs’ defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo during Thursday’s post-practice interview.
“I don’t think anybody’s going to replace Sneed,” Spagnuolo said, acknowledging the challenge ahead.“ I thought LJ had a remarkable year in everything he did. But there’s some shoes there to fill. And whether we do it with one person or two people or shift guys around, we’ll see. We got a long way to go to figure that out.“
Sneed’s departure leaves a significant void not only in performance but also in experience. He was a key veteran amongst a young defensive backfield, starting 54 games for the Chiefs over the past four seasons. This also includes 13 games of postseason experience while being a key contributor to two Super Bowl victories for Kansas City. Because of this, defensive backs coach Dave Merritt likened Sneed’s irreplaceability to that of a sports legend, though with careful discretion.
“It’s almost like trying to replace Michael Jordan,” Merritt remarked. “And I’m not comparing him to Michael Jordan, but that type of skill set that Sneed had was his skill set. The physicality, the ability to be able to lock down a wide receiver, that’s hard to replace. But at the same time, you have other young men who have skill sets that they’re going to be able to step up and be able to showcase. Hopefully, these young men can go out and learn something from what LJ had in his game and just add a little bit of that into their game, but it’s hard to replace a player like that.”
One player poised to step up is third-year cornerback Trent McDuffie, who has already proven to be one of the best young corners in the league. Merritt expressed confidence in McDuffie’s ability to excel in his role without the pressure of directly filling Sneed’s shoes. The upcoming season will test Kansas City’s secondary depth and adaptability, so having versatile players like McDuffie will be vital to maintaining the team’s defensive prowess for the upcoming season.
“Last year, [Trent McDuffie] was First Team All-Pro,” Merritt noted. “He doesn’t need to do anything. He doesn’t need to try to become a Sneed. I think Trent is going to do well with his role in what he’s been doing.”
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