A lot of eyes are on whether or not the New England Patriots will acquire wide receiver A.J. Brown this offseason. But as long as that trade occurs, the biggest remaining need for Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots is at cornerback.
That’s what CBS Sports’s Zachary Pereles argued this week. To address that need, Pereles named veteran cornerback L’Jarius Sneed the best free agent fit for New England.
“Christian Gonzalez has never played all 17 games in a season, and Carlton Davis only did it for the first time in his career last year,” Pereles wrote. “Things didn’t go as planned for Sneed in Tennessee — he played in just 12 games in two years — but he should still have something left in the tank.”
Sneed won two Super Bowl championships with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 and 2023. Following the second back-to-back title, the Chiefs traded Sneed two years ago when the cornerback needed a new contract.
The Tennessee Titans acquired him and signed Sneed to a 4-year, $76 million deal.
That contract ultimately didn’t work out. The Titans released Sneed this offseason.
But the 29-year-old could be a quality addition to an already championship caliber defense. With the Chiefs, Sneed posted 78 combined tackles, including five tackles for loss, 14 pass defenses and two interceptions in 2023.
How L’Jarius Sneed Could Fit Mike Vrabel’s Defense
It’s been a rough couple seasons for the veteran cornerback.
After winning back-to-back championships, Sneed earned his big payday. The $76 million contract with the Titans included more than $51 million guaranteed.
In October 2024, though, Sneed suffered a quadriceps injury. The ailment didn’t initially appear to be very serious, but he ended up missing the rest of the season.
During November of that year, he underwent surgery on his quad.
Sneed didn’t recover from the injury last year either. He was still dealing with the problem last July. Although he returned for the regular season opener, Sneed again played his last game of the campaign because of the quad in October.
Sneed finished his Titans tenure playing in just 12 games. He had 49 combined tackles, three pass defenses and zero interceptions.
The Patriots will have to make sure Sneed has recovered from his quad issue. Pereles, though, is clearly confident that the veteran cornerback could still have something to offer New England in 2026.
Patriots CB Depth Entering 2026 Offseason Workouts
A lot of pundits argued receiver and cornerback were two of the bigger needs the Patriots possessed entering this offseason.
The team’s biggest free agency acquisition was veteran wideout Romeo Doubs. New England is also expected to still trade for Brown.
At cornerback, though, the Patriots only made a minor addition in veteran Kindle Vildor.
In the 2026 NFL Draft, New England grabbed Wake Forest cornerback Karon Prunty in the fifth round. But if Sneed is healthy, he would provide a preferred veteran presence for a defense that will be trying to maintain its Super Bowl level in 2026.
Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III should start at cornerback again for the Patriots. Vildor and Prunty could compete with the other three cornerbacks on the offseason roster — Brandon Crossley, Marcus Jones and Charles Woods — for playing time this summer.
The Patriots also have Marcellas Dial Jr. and Kobee Minor listed as defensive backs on their official roster. Finally, the team is likely to official sign undrafted free agent cornerbacks soon. New England hasn’t added its undrafted free agents to its roster list yet.
But again, if healthy, Sneed would be a much bigger immediate upgrade than any rookie, especially an undrafted free agent.
Patriots Tabbed NFL Free Agency Fit for Ex-$76 Million CB