To supplement the exciting, young players the Kansas City Chiefs have at the cornerback position, the team called on an old friend this summer. Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was signed during OTAs, bringing experience in the system to a defensive backfield that was missing a veteran.
During training camp, spectators saw little of Sneed, who is still managing a knee injury that has plagued him throughout his NFL career. Led by the Chiefs' Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance, Rick Burkholder, the team already has history with managing Sneed's knee.
The cornerback credited Burkholder, assistant athletic trainer Julie Frymyer and the entire staff for keeping him healthy this preseason. Sneed appeared in the third and final exhibition as the Nickel defender, manning the slot with the Chiefs' starting defense.
We might see more of that when the Chiefs take the field in Week 1. During a press conference on Wednesday, head coach Andy Reid talked about the versatility Sneed brings to the defense.
"He can play inside or outside; that's the advantage you gain there with him," Reid told reporters. "He loves doing both, and his size- he's a big kid, tough. Arguably one of the best corners in the league when he left here, and now that he's back healthy and going, I'd tell you he's playing like that right now. He's doing a nice job."
Reid wasn't exaggerating about Sneed loving to play both inside and outside as a cornerback. For the last three seasons, Sneed has been nearly exclusively used on the boundary, but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo seems to have a plan for him as the slot defender in Nickel formations — and he is excited for the opportunity.
"Yeah, I miss it," Sneed responded when asked about playing the Nickel position. "Spags threw me in there my second year; he just threw me in there, and I fell in love with it."
Before Sneed was locking down No. 1 receivers during the 2023 campaign, he was a playmaking slot defender who flashed as a blitzer and in run defense. The veteran sounded excited to have more responsibilities than just press coverage on an outside receiver off the line.
"I feel like I can move around and do what I want to do," Sneed said about playing in the slot. "Not just locked down on one side."
One of the key reasons Sneed would be moving inside with the Chiefs is the young talent on the outside. Rookie Mansoor Delane and Nohl Williams are set up as the starters, and Sneed is supportive of his fresh-faced teammates.
"He's definitely a dog," Sneed described Delane. "And he's a first-rounder for a reason."
"They're hungry, they're young alpha males," Sneed said about the young secondary as a whole. "They listen, they're some dogs and I love that about them."
Spagnuolo is the ringleader of the group, so it's no surprise that he was the one who reached out to Sneed when Kansas City started to show interest in re-signing him. The long-time defensive coach admires Sneed a lot, and that made this summer feel like a homecoming.
"Definitely felt like I was coming back to my mom's house," Sneed smiled.
