NASHVILLE, Tenn. – L’Jarius Sneed could resurface for the Titans’ final three games.
At that point, his on-field presence really won’t have much influence on anything.
So with Brian Callahan’s announcement Friday that the high-priced corner is going on IR Saturday, Sneed’s first season in Music City could well end.
And it was a disaster.
He did not play well in the five games that started the Titans season, then took a helmet to the thigh that became the injury of concern as opposed to the troublesome knee he managed in 2023 in Kansas City and throughout training camp with the Titans.
The Titans are without a third-round pick for the second year in a row. In the first year of his four-year, $76.4 million contract with $44 million guaranteed he’s getting $25 million in cash.
More from Brian Callahan on Sneed. #Titans pic.twitter.com/mDrPItBGzj
— AtoZ Sports Nashville (@AtoZSports) November 22, 2024
“I could be out there tomorrow, you never know,” Sneed said on Nov. 13. Yeah, we knew, since in that same conversation he said he had not yet done any rehab work grass.
He suffered what was called a quad bruise/ contusion against the Colts on Oct. 13 and then was revealed to be a significant quad strain after a slow recovery.
People have complained he was not put on injured reserve earlier. But injuries that don’t clearly define themselves are not uncommon in the NFL. And the Titans have not been in a jam for roster room. Against Minnesota, rookie corner Gabe Jeudy-Lally was active and did not play.
Game-day deactivations exist to deal with injured players who are not on IR. Teams that carry eight offensive linemen after deactivations can have 48 active players. So they scratch five. Teams that keep seven offensive linemen active have to get down to 47, scratching six.
Now the team has concluded that extensive rest is required and Sneed won’t be available for at least four more weeks.
Injuries happen. This one is to the wrong guy at the wrong time. Brinker and Carthon, who has final say on personnel, went and got 
a guy they felt was elite and would be a tone-setter on defense. And he's not been a presence at all.
He's got a $24 million cap hit next year and it would cost $34 million in cap dollars to part with him, so he's here for at least another season.
Chidobe Awuzie, the Titans' other big cornerback acquisition in the offseason, has been out since Week 4 in Miami with a groin injury. The team is slated to open his return widow from IR next week, and he could play Dec. 1 in Washington.
Jarvis Brownlee and Darrell Baker have played well replacing the two star additions, but it was not the plan for the Titans. It’s hard to foresee injuries of course, but fielding a healthier team was a priority as Brinker and Carthon assumed new roles and Brian Callahan took over the team with a new director of sports performance, Zac Woodfin, and an expanded staff below him.