NASHVILLE, Tenn. – He’s supposed to be their star cornerback, but on what should be the healthiest day of the year for players not coming off a big injury, L’Jarius Sneed went straight to the physically unable to perform list.
A year after the Titans gambled and traded a third-round pick for a player they viewed as elite, Sneed’s troublesome knee remains at the forefront of his football. A quad injury limited him to five games in the first year of his new, four-year $76.4 million with $55 million guaranteed.
The Titans can get out of it after this season pretty painlessly.
He told reporters earlier this month at a local football camp in Louisiana that he’s “as healthy as he’s ever been,” but Mike Borgonzi revealed Tuesday that Sneed has a cleanup surgery on the knee in May.
“That set him back a little bit,” he said. “He’s making progress here. He’s really worked hard. He’s been here during the summer. So he’s heading in the right direction. We’re hoping to get him back (out here) soon. …I feel really confident that he’s going to be back.” [Unlocked]
With a motivated Sneed trying to reprove himself, the Titans would play him opposite Jarvis Brownlee with Roger McCreary at nickel and Darrell Baker as the fourth. Sixth-rounder Marcus Harris will compete with sixth-year man Amani Oruwariye, Gabe Jeudy-Lally and a pool of four undrafted rookies to round out the group.
If his problematic knee or other injuries keep him out of the mix, it could dent what should be one of the team’s strongest positions.
Beyond his football issues, Sneed has a looming criminal issue.
Sneed and Tekonzae Warmek Williams face criminal charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon resulting from a Dec. 6, 2024 incident in Carrollton, Texas.
The Dallas County district attorney has not brought the case to a grand jury, but it could.
The NFL is monitoring the situation and Sneed could be suspended as a result of it, though it seems unlikely anything will happen before the cases are resolved. If he was suspended while on the Titans' roster, they would be able to recoup at least some bonus money.
Christian Nshimiyimana and Avi Ahmed seek over $1 million in compensatory damages, fees and relief for infliction of bodily injury (though there were no reported gunshot wounds), threat of bodily injury, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy and negligence.
The civil suit alleges that Sneed and associate Williams pulled up in a rented Lamborghini Urus on Dec. 6, 2024 and shot multiple times at him in a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, which was struck by bullets, as was One Legacy Motors, outside which the vehicle was parked.
In his official answer to those accusations, Sneed’s attorney, Michael J. Todd, wrote that: “Defendant is not liable as alleged by Plaintiff because the alleged conduct was the criminal act of a third party. The alleged acts, if any, were performed by John Doe without any assistance, encouragement, or direction by L’Jarius Sneed.
Court documents now identify John Doe as Williams.
Sneed missed a scheduled deposition connected to the civil matter on June 18th. He is seeking a protective order. It appears that would keep him from having to appear for such questioning because it could provide evidence in the criminal case.
The case was ordered to mediation on May 22 and the deadline for that is not until Feb. 17, 2026. It is not yet on mediator James J. Juneau’s schedule.
In an Associated Press article about the civil suit, the attorney for Nshimiyimana indicated John Doe was Sneed’s assistant.
Williams’ LinkedIn page identifies him as such, with a start date of Jan. 2022 and no end date, though his duties are written in the past tense. 
Players on PUP are not required to do any media. Borgonzi called Sneed week-to-week. The last time we heard from Sneed was Jan. 2, when he said he’s had a bone marrow injection procedure on his quad about six weeks earlier.