The Kansas City Chiefs are being linked to a star cornerback amid even more reports coming out about the L’Jarius Sneed trade market. The Chiefs are expected to part ways with Sneed after they granted him permission to seek a trade when they applied a franchise tag to him this offseason.
Erroneous reports emerged this week the Indianapolis Colts were set to land a deal with the Chiefs to acquire Sneed. However, while the agreement hasn’t been inked, there is smoke around the Colts and Sneed.
The Indianapolis Colts are the best bet to trade for L’Jarius Sneed
Per Albert Breer with Sports Illustrated, the Chiefs discussed trading Sneed with the Colts, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions. The price for Sneed is believed to be close to a second-round pick, and Breer suggests the Colts are the best current option to trade for Sneed of the teams the Chiefs have talked to:
“Kansas City had discussions with the Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings on Sneed leading into free agency. It’d be fair to think that Detroit’s trade for Carlton Davis makes it a lot less like they’d flip a Day-2 pick for Sneed.
The Vikings, meanwhile, spent heavily on defense in free agency after Kirk Cousins departed, and could still be in the mix. And Indy’s spent a lot on their own players, but not on big-time outside targets.”
If the Chiefs decide to trade the cornerback, they would need to find Sneed’s replacement quickly. The team invested heavily in defense this offseason when it signed Chris Jones.
The goal is to win a threepeat, and they need a solid secondary to get there. The Chiefs had already lost a member on the secondary from the 2023 team when news broke Wednesday afternoon that safety Mike Edwards signed with the Buffalo Bills.
The Kansas City Chiefs are linked to Xavien Howard
Per Bill Barnwell with ESPN, former Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard would fit the prototype for the type of veteran player they could afford and could play in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense:
“I keep coming back to the Chiefs, who typically prefer younger cornerbacks but have a habit of signing overlooked playmakers in that spot. Howard’s ability to hold up in man coverage and create takeaways are skills that should appeal to them.
This is less of a fit if L’Jarius Sneed comes back for 2024, but if the Chiefs trade their franchise-tagged cornerback, Howard could be one of the additions general manager Brett Veach makes to replace his top coverage guy from last season.”
Howard could be the veteran defender the Chiefs need
Howard has all the credentials one would want on a Super Bowl-caliber defense. He has earned All-Pro honors twice, made four Pro Bowl appearances, and led the league in interceptions in two seasons. At 30, Howard has recorded 331 tackles, 29 interceptions, and four forced fumbles in his eight-year NFL career.
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