INDIANAPOLIS – Mike Borgonzi witnessed cornerback L'Jarius Sneed at his best, as a key contributor in Kansas City on two Super Bowl-winning teams.
Borgonzi, who previously served as assistant GM with the Chiefs, has been reunited with Sneed in Tennessee.
And not long after he was hired as general manager of the Titans, he reached out to Sneed.
Here at the NFL Combine, Borgonzi said he anticipates Sneed returning to form for the Titans in 2025 after an injury-shortened 2024 season in Tennessee.
"He's getting healthy, and that is the most important thing, that he gets healthy," Borgonzi said of Sneed. "A priority for us is to get him healthy, and then for him to be a huge part of that secondary. I do think that will happen, because I know what he is capable of when he's healthy – I saw it firsthand."
Last March, the Titans and Chiefs agreed to terms on a trade that sent Sneed from Kansas City to Tennessee. The Chiefs traded Sneed to the Titans in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick and a swap of 2024 seventh-round picks. Sneed reached a new multi-year contract with the Titans.
But after starting 57 regular season games the previous four seasons in Kansas City, when he recorded 10 interceptions, 6.5 sacks, and 40 passes defensed, Sneed's health kept him off the field most the year in Tennessee.
Sneed ended up playing just five games in 2024, a season that ended with him being placed on Injured Reserve because of a quad bruise that ultimately resulted in him having a bone marrow injection procedure to promote healing. Sneed was credited with 23 tackles and two tackles for a loss in those five games.
Coach Brian Callahan said on Tuesday Sneed is recovering well while also expressing confidence in him being able to return to form.
"Absolutely," Callahan said. "I still hope to see the version of L'Jarius that we traded for and signed. Injuries got in the way of that part this season, but I am still optimistic and hopeful that he is a key contributor for us."
Borgonzi said Sneed has all the qualities the team is looking for in a cornerback.
While the Titans are also exploring other options in the secondary in free agency and the NFL Draft, they're also counting on Sneed.
Borgonzi knows what he's capable of.
"He's tough, competitive," Borgonzi said of Sneed. "And his physical attributes, he's a longer corner that can play both man and zone. As a press man player, and we played a lot in Kansas City, we'd match him up on Ja'Marr Chase and all those guys in the playoffs. He can do a lot of different things."
