NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After working a great deal in the Titans’ first camp practice, L’Jarius Sneed only participated in the lightest part of the second session.
The special program the team has set up for him is largely proscribed rather than based on how his troublesome knee is doing, but it will include more camp practice than he had last year in Kansas City, when he said he did “no camp at all.”
He said he’s healthy, but that the goal is to maintain that and carry it into Week One on Sept. 8 in Chicago.
It would seem the team would miss out on his leadership during missed practices as his experience as a high-level corner is what prompted the Titans to make a trade with Kansas City, getting him for a 2025 third-rounder and swap 2024 sevenths and then extending his contract through 2027 with $55 million guaranteed.
But Brian Callahan said he’s not worried about that.
“The practice part we have to work through, but he’s also a part of everything else,” Callahan said. “He’s in the meeting room, he’s in the building. He’s got a reputation on top of it as well so that always helps. He’s played really good football so, his reputation precedes him in terms of his ability to play the position and so he garners that sort of immediate respect ands leadership.
“As much as he’s around the guys, that’s the main part. Obviously you’d love to practice every day, but that’s just not where he’s at and we’ve got to manage that part of it. I don’t have any concern about where he’d be leadership-wise, communication-wise, you get that work when you’re in the meeting rooms.”
While injured players were typically inside during Mike Vrabel’s term as head coach, Callahan said he likes players who aren’t practicing to be predominantly on the sideline and a part of things.
“I coached them up on plays, they ask me questions and I try to give them the best answer that I can,” Sneed said about watching practice Thursday. “Yes, I make up for it. It’s all a mind thing. I stay grounded. Keep going and stay in my playbook.”
L’Jarius Sneed on penalties. Wants them down but says he’ll hold. #Titans pic.twitter.com/ff6bLqwSBj
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) July 25, 2024
DeAndre Hopkins hasn’t seen much of Sneed, who called the receiver a master of finesse, on the field as 
a teammate yet, but has an early sense of him.
“He takes everything serious,” Hopkins said. “And he’s all about his technique and details Even in walkthroughs he’s very detail detail-oriented, you can tell that he’s been coached well and he’s played a lot of good ball. … You can tell he’s one of the best ones.”
Ran Carthon said from the start the Titans’ objective was to get Sneed on the field on game days. His moxie, play and production there – provided the knee is not an issue – is expected to produce a big payoff.
“I know what winning looks like,” he said. “We’re going to get together and we’re going to be all right.”