While the Kansas City Chiefs are primarily known for their offensive firepower, their defense has come up clutch more than once over the last few years. However, they dealt one of their most important pieces on that side of the ball this offseason, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will have to figure out how to replace him.
The veteran coach sounded off about the loss of L'Jarius Sneed after Kansas City traded him to the Tennessee Titans for draft picks, via NBC Sports' Myles Simmons.
“We’ll see. I don’t think anybody is going to replace LJ Sneed,” Spagnuolo said in his press conference, via transcript from the team. “I thought LJ had a remarkable year in everything that he did. There are some shoes there to fill, whether we do it with one person or two people or shift guys around, we’ll see.”
The Chiefs have a promising stable of young corners, headlined by Trent McDuffie, Chamarri Conner, and Nic Jones. However, Spagnuolo hasn't nailed down the contingency plan yet.
“We have some young guys working in there,” Spagnuolo said. “Trent can always certainly slide back in. We haven’t put Justin Reid in there, but I’m not so sure if we got in a pinch in an emergency [that] we [couldn’t] do that, but it’s good to have versatile guys.”
McDuffie primarily played in the slot last season, so Conner or Jones would most likely have to take replace at spot if he were to return to the outside. Reid is a safety, so having him at cornerback isn't the ideal option.
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The Chiefs' young corners will need to step up
McDuffie admitted that Sneed will be missed, but the show must go on, via The Athletic's Nate Taylor.
“We all love LJ,” McDuffie said of Sneed, “We’re disappointed to see him go, but also excited for his new journey.”
Sneed, who won two rings with the Chiefs, was a late-round success story. The former PFWA All-Rookie honoree was drafted in the fourth round in 2020 out of Louisiana Tech, which is where career backups are usually taken. However, he quickly rose to prominence, making game-changing playoff plays such as punching the ball out of Zay Flowers' hands in the 2023 AFC Championship.
While Sneed's story is inspiring, McDuffie and company will need to collectively match his production for Kansas City to extend its dynasty.
“For us, it just allows new guys to step up and take on a bigger role,” McDuffie continued. “I’ve got to step up and be more of a leader. That’s exciting for me. I’ve had to speak up a little bit, especially with the rookies coming in and trying to learn this playbook.”
Just as Sneed was an unexpected standout, the same could happen to one of the other Chiefs corners. Inexperience could hinder them early on, as McDuffie himself is only in his third year. However, a common saying is that the NFL stands for “not for long.” If the young cornerback stable can't figure things out throughout the campaign, expect personnel changes to be made.
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