Sneed trade reaction: Where do the Chiefs go from here?

The Chiefs have a L'Jarius Sneed-sized void to fill, but now have plenty of cap space to do so. They may have the cornerback depth in house, but the roster construction options have opened up.

On their journey to a second straight Super Bowl, the Chiefs rode the backs of a dominant defense that ranked second in points and yards allowed per game. The offense came around in the playoffs, but the defense got them there. 

The 2023 defense was centered around three key figures, defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed. With Sneed traded to the Tennessee Titans, defensive Steve Spagnuolo will need to come up with a new plan to remain at the top. 

Of course, the defense may not have to be as dominant in 2024 if the offense picks up the slack. The Chiefs’ first key move to move towards that is they signed former first-round pick and thousand-yard receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. 

Considering what Sneed did to shut down opposing number-one wide receivers last season, his loss will be a blow. With that said, much like the Tyreek Hill trade, it is not just the draft picks the team receives in return, it is also a boatload of cap space. 

When the Chiefs traded Hill, they cleared $20 million in cap space and in 2022 safety Justin Reid and wide receivers Marquez Valdez-Scantling and Juju Smith-Schuster all fit under that amount. Those three only took up a little more than $13 million that season in fact. 

Following the Sneed trade, Kansas City has watched itself go from the sixth-least cap space to the ninth-most for a total of a little more than $27 million. The Chiefs now have an opportunity to do exactly what they did in 2022 and spread the wealth from one player to a multitude of roster spots. 

The Chiefs do have a largely complete roster, but as things stand now they do have some pointed needs that need to be addressed. Kansas City currently does not have a backup quarterback, could use depth at running back and a left tackle could be brought in to compete with second-year tackle Wanya Morris. If they feel the need to add another wide receiver before the draft, that could be a path they go down as well. 

As far as the defense goes, with defensive end Charles Omenihu injured and Mike Danna currently a free agent, they have a major need at that spot. Rookie Feliz Anudike Uzomah is primed to take on a role but with his lack of experience, some depth would be welcomed by Spagnuolo and defensive line coach Joe Cullen. 

Then there is replacing Sneed himself. One of the reasons the Chiefs felt they could move on from Sneed is because they are pretty set at the cornerback position. It all starts with the 2022 draft class which has produced a first-team all-pro cornerback in Trent McDuffie, as well as key contributors fourth-rounder Joshua Williams and seventh-rounder Jaylen Watson. 

Those three are the likely starters, but they do have additional depth with 2023 rookies Nic Jones and Ekow Boye-Doe. With the way general manager Brett Veach churns out defensive backs, there is no reason to think at least one of them will not contribute in 2024. 

In 2022 the Chiefs also drafted cornerback Nazhee Johnson in the seventh round. He was reportedly inching his way up the depth chart, possibly even past Watson or Williams in training camp last year before tearing his ACL. It should also be noted that 2023 rookie safety Charmarri Conner has slot-corner experience as well. He and some of the other cornerbacks could allow McDuffie to be pushed outside with Sneed no longer there. 

All of this is not to say, that the Chiefs could not use a veteran corner in free agency to be there if there are injuries or the rostered cornerbacks do not step up. Thursday morning, I will dive into who is available at each of the positions above. There is a lot of serious talent out there and the Chiefs now have a flurry of cap space to round this roster out on their quest to a three-peat. 

The good news for the Chiefs is that many of the free agents that are left out there are in the discount phase of the offseason. The Chiefs signed Drue Tranquill and Mike Edwards around this time last offseason and both of them signed for $3 million each. Just because they are on a discount, does not mean there are no key contributors that can play a role in a championship run are not out there.