One of the biggest remaining questions for the Tennessee Titans to answer heading into the 2025 season is what cornerback L’Jarius Sneed has left in the tank.

The veteran cornerback has been a major concern and has only returned to the field over the past two weeks after sitting out offseason activities and training camp while recovering from knee surgery.

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Tennessee needs more from one of its prized acquisitions during the 2024 offseason spending spree, and his return to form would give the defense a tremendous boost. So far, he appears to be trending toward being available for the season in Denver, but there is still a week to go, and no official injury or practice reports have been released.

There is no doubt that Sneed is at a crossroads in Nashville. He is entering the second season of his $76.4 million contract, and with a new front office in place, they may not be completely forgiving if he continues to disappoint.

This isn’t just a sentiment among Titans’ fans. One former agent, Joel Corry, lists Sneed as one of his top veteran bounce-back candidates for 2025.

L’Jarius Sneed, CB, Titans

Sneed didn’t resemble the shutdown cornerback he was in 2023 during the five games he played last season before going on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury. The Titans acquired Sneed from the Kansas City Chiefs, who had designated him as a franchise player, in March 2024 for a 2025 third-round pick with the teams also swapping 2024 seventh-round picks. Sneed signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract, averaging $19.1 million per year with $55 million in guarantees, in the process. Out of the $55 million, $44 million was fully guaranteed at signing. If Sneed doesn’t return to form, the Titans would pick up nearly $12 million in 2026 salary cap space by exiting the deal.

Once Sneed was activated from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, he discussed the process and that his sitting out training camp was more of a precautionary measure to ensure he was ready to go for the opener. If that is the case, it sounds like it is working, and he should be ready to go.

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General manager Mike Borgonzi was asked about Sneed during his post-cut-down press availability and mentioned that he has returned to the field and has been a full participant in practice.

With fans growing impatient and the Titans needing a shutdown cornerback, Sneed bouncing back and returning to form would be a huge boon for the team in 2025. Will it happen? It’s hard to tell, but like the atmosphere around the entire organization, there is optimism that he will have a much better season in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Tennessee Titans’ L’Jarius Sneed named a top bounce-back candidate