Three reasons to believe in the Chiefs’ plans following their trade of L’Jarius Sneed
There is a price for success in the NFL. It seems to be one of the greatest cornerbacks in the league for the Kansas City Chiefs. Thankfully, when Kansas City traded L’Jarius Sneed to the Tennessee Titans, there are solid reasons to believe in the strategy.
The NFL offseason is an enigmatic phenomenon. There was a flurry of action to start the new league year. After the initial wave subsided a week later, there was a general lack of activity in league circles until word leaked out that Kansas City Chiefs standout cornerback L’Jarius Sneed had been moved to the Tennessee Titans.
In exchange for the Chiefs’ trade compensation, Tennessee gave a third-round selection in 2025 to Kansas City, and the two clubs exchanged seventh-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Chiefs’ excellent defense just took a hit to their secondary, and now they’re vying for the first three-peat in league history. It’s an odd way to begin a campaign when you lose a cornerback who can compete for the All-Pro team, but general manager Brett Veach deserves some leeway. When all-world wide receiver Tyreek Hill was dealt to the Miami Dolphins in 2022, the Chiefs just went through this procedure.
It’s wise to give Veach some leeway to see how this plays out, as the Chiefs have won two straight Super Bowls after that deal. I think there are three good reasons to put your faith in the ole wordprocess here.
1. Coaching in defense
With this transaction, Kansas City’s defensive coaching may be the strongest argument against panicking.
Chiefs supporters are by this point ready to construct a statue in Steve Spagnuolo’s honor, the defensive coordinator who won four championships. It is reasonable to have trust in his ability to deal with Sneed’s departure given his outstanding performance with one of the league’s best defensive teams in 2023.
When you combine that with the fact that Dave Merritt, one of the best position coaches in the NFL, coaching Kansas City’s secondary, I have no doubt the secondary will keep performing well. With Sam Madison’s brief tour with the Miami Dolphins coming to a close, the franchise may go all in and bring him back as the secondary coach.
Remarkably, this coaching staff used just one Top 100 choice (Trent McDuffie) to assemble one of the league’s greatest cornerback groupings. The majority of players selected on Days 2 and 3 of the NFL Draft have regularly been selected by them. The key to their corners’ success in their defensive scheme has been their coaching, which is a compelling case for parting ways with Sneed.
2. The Kansas City Draft Performance
What is the connection between Jaylen Watson, Rashad Fenton, and Joshua Williams? Each player was chosen in the fourth round of the NFL Draft or later, and they have all contributed significantly to three championship campaigns with key plays. It is obvious that cornerbacks are a strength for Brett Veach and crew in scouting evaluations. The fact that there will be another strong batch of cornerbacks in 2024 helps.
Up to nine cornerbacks are listed in the Top 50 of Pro Football Focus’s yearly big board. Should Kansas City choose to trade down into the early rounds of Round 2, Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry will be available late in the first round. Another fascinating Georgian prospect for Kansas City on Day 2 is Kamari Lassiter. The Chiefs could wait to backfill the corner on Day 3 with guys like Ro Terrence or T.J. Tampa since they have more urgent matters to attend to.
3. The Cupboard with Cornerback Position
Following Tyreek Hill’s trade two years ago, the Chiefs were forced to rely on free agency to bring in some quality. There were no reliable internal choices available to them at the post. Fortunately, things aren’t like that in the cornerbacks’ room. Sneed possibly leaves two strong corners behind in order to succeed him.
Although it’s still extremely early in the offseason, Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams are the front-runners to take Sneed’s spot as the starting quarterback in 2024. PFF gave Williams the best rating of the two previous seasons (73.0 vs Watson’s 66.1). However, since being selected, both players have contributed significantly. Though neither player possesses Sneed’s ceiling, I believe there won’t be a noticeable decline in performance under Merritt’s direction.
In order to contend for greater playing time the next season, Kansas City also possesses undrafted free agent Ekow Boye-Doe and 2023 draftee Nic Jones as depth possibilities. While neither player played a significant amount of defensive time on the field last season, they both have the potential to get more chances soon. Another possibility is that the Chiefs add a veteran cornerback, raising the floor in the cornerback room.
Although it’s never ideal, trading homegrown talent is a necessary component of consistently performing well in the NFL Draft. Fortunately, this is the one place where taking a chance is comparatively safe. They’ve done a good job of developing a strong pool of cornerbacks and appointing coaches who can maximize the development of their young players. In the worst case scenario, the Chiefs have created a sizable amount of salary room to utilize and reallocate money to roster weak points.
It’s hard for me to understand the compensation for this transaction, however if a good player slips beyond their anticipated selection position in the upcoming round, you may use a 2025 pick as leverage. Trent McDuffie came to Kansas City because of it, and in five weeks, we could witness a recurrence of that. Once more, I have enough faith in Veach to hold off on passing judgment and see things through to the end.
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