Entering the 2024 offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers have some glaring holes on the roster that will need addressed by GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl. One of those resides at the cornerback position.
Outside of standout rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr., there’s a lot of uncertainty at the position for the Steelers moving forward. Veteran Levi Wallace is a free agent as is James Pierre. Patrick Peterson will enter his age-34 season in 2024 — assuming he’s brought back for the second and final year of his contract — and he really struggled at corner this season.
Rookie seventh-round pick Cory Trice Jr. has some promise but is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in training camp. Fellow rookie Darius Rush was a healthy scratch late in the year after being signed off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad.
There are some pieces in place to be excited about but in a pass-happy league the Steelers need to find answers.
One of those could be veteran Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
Sneed, who is preparing to play in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, is set to hit free agency after the season. The Steelers were listed by Pro Football Focus as a potential fit for the 27-year-old Sneed.
Along with the Chiefs, the Steelers were listed with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles as a potential landing spot for Sneed, who was a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Louisiana Tech.
In PFF’s free agency rankings, Sneed is No. 10 in the class out of the top 150, and the second cornerback, one spot behind Chicago’s Jaylon Johnson.
PFF projects Sneed to get a three-year, $52.5 million deal with $35 million guaranteed, breaking down to $17.5 million per year.
“Sneed was a fixture out wide in 2023 after lining up primarily in the slot over his first three seasons, and he held up quite well in several tough matchups,” PFF writes regarding Sneed in its free agency rankings. “Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo asks a lot of his cornerbacks, and Sneed is sticky in coverage, getting into receivers’ hip pockets and becoming very hard to shake with lateral movement or in the air at the catch point. Sneed could stand to cut down on penalties, but his aggressive nature would be welcome on many teams, and his inside-outside versatility is a nice benefit, as well.”
Over the last three seasons, Sneed has played at least 1,100 snaps for the Chiefs. In the 2022 season, Sneed graded out as the 13th-best cornerback in football from PFF and was PFF’s 31st-best cornerback this season with a grade of 71.1 overall, including a grade of 71.9 in coverage. In his career, Sneed has allowed 210 receptions on 322 targets for 1,979 yards and 10 touchdowns, per PFF. He also has 10 interceptions in that span, along with 24 pass breakups.
Sneed does have penalty issues, getting flagged for 33 in his career with six others declined, but that aggressive mindset has helped him thrive for the Chiefs in a scheme that asks a lot of defensive backs.
The price tag might be a bit rich for Sneed when it comes to the Steelers’ potential interest, but his play style would be welcomed opposite Porter. And it could allow the Steelers to continue to throw new looks at offenses with Sneed’s versatility, the fourth-year veteran having played 1,650 snaps at corner and 1,283 snaps in the slot in his career.
