With seven games remaining in 2024, the Tennessee Titans will face the Houston Texans and have to play the majority of its remaining schedule without one of their best players. The team placed top cornerback L'Jarius Sneed on injured reserve, IR, just days before facing the Texans in Week 12, per Tom Pelissero.
Sneed, who has been dealing with a quad injury, has not played for the team since Week 6. While the team hoped the severity of Sneed's injury was not worthy of an IR designation, they will not see him on the field again until Week 16 at the earliest.
If Sneed does not appear again in 2024, his five games played thus far would be a new career-low. In that time, Sneed has recorded 23 total tackles, zero pass breakups and no interceptions. His PFF grade of 36.3 would be the lowest of his career by a wide margin and a far cry from his 2023 outing that had many labeling him as a top-10 defensive back in the NFL.
The fifth-year cornerback was the Titans' biggest offseason acquisition ahead of the 2024 season. Tennessee acquired Sneed through a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, sending a third-round pick to the reigning Super Bowl champions in order to obtain the lockdown corner.
Titans' secondary without L'Jarius Sneed





Once the Titans officially move Sneed to injured reserve, he will become the third key member of the team's secondary to land on IR. Tennessee already has Chidobe Awuzie and Quandre Diggs out with respective injuries, making what is left of their defensive back unit fairly thin.
Ahead of the season, the Titans expected Sneed and Awuzie to form a menacing one-two punch on the edges of their defense. Instead, the two veterans have played just three games together on the year, while Diggs has appeared in just eight.
Without either Sneed or Awuzie, the Titans are left with a tandem of Jarvis Brownlee Jr., Roger McCreary, Tre Avery and Darrell Baker Jr. as their remaining cornerbacks. Undrafted rookie Gabe Jeudy-Lally and veteran Justin Hardee Sr. are also on the active roster to provide depth but neither has recorded a stat in 2024.
Diggs' absence leaves the team with Amani Hooker and Mike Brown as their starting safeties. Undrafted rookie Julius Wood is the only other player on the active roster in the position.
Overall, the Titans now have seven members of their defense on injured reserve. Marlon Davidson, TJ McLendon Jr., Chance Campbell and Garret Wallow are also out nursing injuries, though neither were starters at the beginning of their absences.