What the L'Jarius Sneed trade means for Titans and Chiefs

The teams are also expected to swap seventh-rounders in this year's draft.

According to Spotrac, the Titans gave No. 221 overall, which they previously acquired from the Panthers in August 2022, to the Chiefs in exchange for No. 252. Following the trade, Tennessee signed Sneed to a four-year, $76 million contract extension.

Undoubtedly an underwhelming return for one of Kansas City's most impactful defenders, this is what the trade means for both teams:

TITANS

Tennessee appears to have a defense capable of slowing down potentially potent offenses in its division and the AFC at large.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and the entire Houston offense should improve in Year 2 under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence could be due for a bounce-back season as he enters the fourth year of his rookie contract. The Colts had the 10th-ranked scoring offense (23.3 points per game) with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew starting 13 games, and they could be even scarier with a fully healthy Anthony Richardson.

Sneed, one of the league's best cornerbacks, gives the Titans a strong secondary after they previously added former Bengals corner Chidobe Awuzie. 

Last season, Pro Football Focus credited Sneed with 10 pass breakups, and quarterbacks completed just 51.9 percent of their attempts when targeting him. In four seasons, he's only allowed an average of 9.4 yards per reception.

Awuzie allowed a 67.9 completion percentage on targets in 2023 but was much stingier from 2021-22 when he allowed a 52.2 completion rate in 22 games.

General manager Ran Carthon has built an intriguing team around quarterback Will Levis. After being selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Levis had an up-and-down rookie campaign.

His highs, which included a four-touchdown debut against the Falcons in Week 8 and a wild fourth-quarter comeback at the Dolphins in Week 14, were matched by games against the Bucs (Week 10) and Colts (Week 13) in which he failed to complete 50 percent of his passing attempts.

In addition to Awuzie's three-year, $36 million contract, the Titans signed linebacker Kenneth Murray (two years, $15.5 million) center Lloyd Cushenberry (four years, $50 million), guard Saahdiq Charles (one year, $1.5 million), running back Tony Pollard (three years, $21.75 million) and wide receiver Calvin Ridley (four years, $92 million) in free agency. If Levis makes a second-year leap under first-year head coach Brian Callahan, Tennessee will be in the playoff conversation.

CHIEFS

Sneed's forced fumble on Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers in the AFC Championship Game was one of the biggest plays of Kansas City's Super Bowl run. While his contributions will be missed, as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler noted, the Chiefs can re-sign other members of last year's Super Bowl roster with Sneed's franchise tag off the books.

Cornerback Trent McDuffie was solid last year, and Joshua Williams earned a bigger role after only allowing 12 receptions on 29 targets, which should prevent the unit from suffering a massive decline. But don't discount Kansas City from adding a corner early in the 2024 NFL Draft, either. Prospects including Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Iowa State's T.J. Tampa and Rutgers' Max Melton could be in play when the Chiefs select at No. 32 overall.