L'Jarius

Sneed

That’s if no long-term agreement can be reached. Per Fowler, Sneed is “agreeable to the scenario, giving him chance to talk with other teams while K.C. remains in play.” An every-snap player the past three seasons, Sneed and his man coverage were one of the most important elements of the Chiefs’ recent Super Bowl championship. He is not the kind of player you would normally trade, though Sneed is already 27 and the Chiefs have the kind of salary cap realities that come along with having a player like Patrick Mahomes.

In addition to re-signing Sneed, Veach also said bringing back DT Chris Jones is also among the team’s top priorities. Both Sneed and Jones are set to hit free agency this offseason and will be unrestricted free agents. Sneed was a fourth-round pick by the Chiefs in 2020 and has molded himself into one of the top corners in the league. Much like Sneed, Jones is also a top player in the league at his position and went through a tumultuous offseason in 2023. He held out throughout training camp but eventually received a one-year deal and didn’t miss any game time. Ideally, the Chiefs will avoid holdouts with both Sneed and Jones this offseason. The Chiefs currently have $24 million in available cap space, which could make this a tricky situation to navigate early on.

Jones is nursing a groin injury heading into Week 18, though the Chiefs may sit him with the third seed locked up. CB L’Jarius Sneed (calf) was also a key non-participant in Wednesday’s practice. Both players may be headed to an inactive status against the Chargers with playoff positioning locked up, and with both Sneed and Jones headed for free agency this offseason, the Chiefs will want to get the most out of them for the playoffs.

Sneed was considered a game-time decision heading into the weekend, but he felt good enough during pregame warmups to give it a go. The Chiefs did declare WR Kadarius Toney, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, CB Nic Jones, DE B.J. Thompson, OT Donovan Smith, DT Neil Farrell, and DE Malik Herring inactive for Week 17.

Sneed opened the week with consecutive DNPs before being listed as questionable. It looks like he will miss Week 17 against Cincy. Losing Sneed is a notable blow to a Chiefs team that has been shockingly reliant on their defense this year. Sneed has 13 pass breakups and two picks this year.

Sneed has had a breakout season for the Chiefs, most recently holding Raiders WR Davante Adams to one catch for four yards in Week 16. However, he suffered a calf strain and did not practice to begin the week. If Sneed cannot go this week, it will be a big hit to a solid Chiefs secondary against the Bengals in Week 17.

Sneed logging a second practice on the week is a good enough sign that he’ll likely play on Thursday. Head coach Andy Reid is already on record saying that he expects Sneed to suit up, meaning the veteran corner should be on the field assuming his knee injury doesn’t worsen. Sneed is reportedly dealing with swelling in his knee and is considered day-to-day by the team.

According to head coach Andy Reid, Sneed has been dealing with swelling in his knee but is day-to-day ahead of Thursday’s Week 1 matchup against the Lions. Reid stated over the weekend that he expects Sneed to be ready for Thursday’s game, so we’ll assume his limited practice is little more than load management at this point.

Sneed exited the AFC championship with a concussion and did not return. The extra week of recovery between the Chiefs’ win over the Bengals and the Super Bowl gave him more than enough time to clear the league’s concussion protocol. With Sneed and Kansas City’s wideouts all coming off the injury report, the Chiefs do not have any injury designations heading into the Super Bowl.

Sneed is still in concussion protocol and did not practice this week. However, he has a little over a week to clear the league’s hurdles for returning, so there is still a good shot Sneed manages to suit up. Sneed defended 11 passes and notched three interceptions in the regular season.