The Chiefs Have a Serious Need for L’Jarius Sneed Heading Into This Season
Heading into the 2021 season, a major factor in the fate of the Kansas City Chiefs' cornerback group is a player who was only on the field for 38% of the team's defensive snaps in 2020.
Make no mistake about it: L'Jarius Sneed was fantastic in his nine games (six starts) last season. The former fourth-round pick recorded seven PBUs, a trio of interceptions and even a pair of sacks in the regular season. His physicality, raw athleticism and advanced feel for the game allowed him to thrive in two different roles. Sneed was undoubtedly one of the Chiefs' best defensive players a year ago.
With that said, he'll need to be just as good — if not better — this season in order for Steve Spagnuolo's defense to live up to expectations. A lot of that has nothing to do with Sneed, though. Conner Christopherson of Arrowhead Report joined me on today's Roughing the Kicker podcast to outline why the pressure is on Sneed because of the talent surrounding him.
The Chiefs let veteran cornerback Bashaud Breeland sign elsewhere this offseason, signaling the youth movement in the secondary. Embracing a depth chart headlining Sneed and Charvarius Ward is a bold strategy that will certainly be tested soon. Behind them, spots are seemingly up for grabs as training camp ensues.
Rashad Fenton has long been underrated as a Chief, boasting a high floor but a low ceiling. That isn't a problem but if the team wants a player who can make more "splash" plays at the position, Fenton could be the odd man out. Both DeAndre Baker and Mike Hughes are former first-round picks with impressive profiles. Despite their tumultuous tenures thus far in the NFL, their ceilings are higher than Fenton's.
Then, of course, there's BoPete Keyes. Keyes, one of Sneed's sophomore peers, failed to make a significant impact as a rookie and is facing an uphill battle for major playing time this season. That doesn't mean that there are world-beaters ahead of him on the depth chart, but rather that he still has some work to do before becoming a reliable contributor. Again, the fact that Sneed is being relied upon so heavily in year two is astounding.
If I had to guess, I'd say that Sneed is up for the challenge. The Chiefs may have been burned in the past by impressive young cornerbacks starting their careers off with a bang, but Sneed appears to be different. He has both the physical and mental tools to be a successful player in the NFL. How good he is in 2021 will determine, at least partially, how well the cornerback group as a whole does for the Chiefs.
Ward is serviceable. Having that as a No. 2 cornerback is not a problem. On the other hand, there's a ton of uncertainty behind him. There's a universe out there in which one of Baker and Hughes, or even Fenton, emerges as a stud. There's even a possibility that two of them do so. Even then, Sneed will have to be the standout of the group.
The expectations for Sneed are sky-high heading into this season. If he doesn't cement himself as one of the premier young talents in the league, the Chiefs' secondary could suffer. If he's able to build on a stellar partial rookie year, that will bode well for his running mates. Either way, the Chiefs have a serious Need for Sneed.
Read More: The Importance of the Chiefs’ Interior Defensive Line Shouldn’t Be Understated
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