After a dismal, injury-plagued tenure in Nashville, one player's sudden resurgence forces a harsh spotlight on the Titans’ massive $76 million investment failure.
The Tennessee Titans defense was bad in a lot of areas last year.
The team struggled to effectively sack opposing outside linebackers, except for Jeffery Simmons. The team had 42 as a whole, which ranked 14th in the NFL.
It could've been worse, but it's never good to be in the middle of the pack with that kind of stat.
The Titans ranked fifth in most points allowed (28.1) per game. The only thing that they were decent at was stopping the run.
The Titans allowed the 15th fewest rushing yards per game (114.6) in 2025.
One of the most problematic areas on defense was the secondary. L'Jarius Sneed went down with another soft-tissue injury and only played in seven games.
The Titans traded Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Roger McCreary at the deadline to gain draft capital. The corners after that were Darrell Baker, Jalyn Armour-Davis, Kevin Winston, Micah Robinson and Marcus Harris.
As a result, the Titans allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game (248.3).
Sneed's time in Nashville was very frustrating. The Titans signed him to a franchise tag extension for four years at $76. 4 million per year, according to Spotrac.
In the two years he spent here, he played in 12 games due to injury. It's safe to say that Sneed didn't live up to the expectations based on how much the Titans paid him.
After two disappointing years with the franchise, the Titans decided to release him this offseason. Guess who he went back to?
If you guessed the Kansas City Chiefs, you would be right.
Sneed had his first stint with the Chiefs from 2020-23 after being drafted out of Louisiana Tech. He recorded 303 total tackles, 19 total tackles, 6.5 sacks and 10 interceptions.
Once he got to the Titans, that same version of Sneed disappeared, and he never played a full season.
There was a recent interview with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid that circulated on social media. Reid mentioned how healthy Sneed has looked, despite concerns about his injury history with the Titans in recent years.
"Yeah, well, he can play inside or outside," Reid said. "That's the advantage you gain there with him. He loves doing both. But I mean, I think in his eyes he's a big kid, tough. I mean, arguably one of the best corners in the league. I mean, when he left here, and now that he's back healthy and going, I mean, I'll tell you, he's playing like that right now. So, he's doing a nice job."
If Sneed ends up getting back to the player he once was with the Chiefs, the city of Nashville might riot.
The Titans invested so much in him for Sneed to become a shell of who he once was. If Reid and the Chiefs can revive his career, there are going to be some serious questions asked about the Titans.
Why was it that the Titans weren't able to keep him healthy, yet the Chiefs are raving about how much better he has looked in the preseason?
It's hard to figure out who should be blamed for the Sneed blunder, whether it's former General Manager Ran Carthon or the Titans front office as a whole. Carthon was known for his questionable contract decisions.
He gave former Titans center Lloyd Cushenberry a four-year deal worth $50 million. Much like Sneed, he dealt with injuries. Cushenberry tore his Achilles in his first year and then missed time recovering from it in 2025.
He also signed Calvin Ridley to a four-year, $92 million deal which he hasn't lived up to yet. Tony Pollard has played well after the Titans signed him to a three-year, $21.7 million contract, but hitting on just one of those four signings isn't a good look.
It's tough for Titans fans because if he does well, it's going to make the organization look bad and have people question the legitimacy of the strength and conditioning program.
On the other hand, if Sneed doesn't do well, then the Titans were right to release him and make a good decision.
At the end of the day, maybe some organizations know how to best utilize certain players better than others.
One thing's for certain, if Sneed does well, then there's going to be a lot of angry fans here in Music City.
