As the Tennessee Titans prepare for their Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears, all eys are now on this revamped roster. The offseason is done and over with. Training camp and the preseason are in the books.
The real thing starts, now, and these Titans are out to prove that they aren't just going to be one of the winners of the offseason.
Speaking of which, one of the biggest moves of the offseason came when the Titans traded for former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed. When Tennessee moved just a third-round pick for Sneed, fans were thrilled at the compensation and knowing that the team landed exactly what their defense needed: a lockdown cornerback.
Sneed immediately agreed to a new contract with the Titans, too, and at the moment, it's looking like quite a steal for Tennessee.
Wednesday morning, another top corner was able to secure a new deal as well. The Denver Broncos and All Pro Patrick Surtain II agreed on a new 4-year deal which will pay him a total of $96 million. For those keeping score at home, that's $24 million annually.
With Surtain now being the highest-paid cornerback in league history, it makes the Sneed contract look that much appealing.
Allow me to go so far as to say that the Titans committed highway robbery when they finalized Sneed's new contract.
Why is that?
In a 'what have you done for me lately' league, L'Jarius Sneed completely outperformed Patrick Surtain in 2023
Surtain is viewed as arguably the best cornerback in the game today, but when you dig into the numbers, fans might start to ask questions. There's no doubt he's a talented player, but is Surtain that much better than a player like Sneed?
Let's dive into their 2023 season a bit more.
|
Category |
Sneed |
Surtain |
|---|---|---|
|
Annual $ |
$19.1 million |
$24 million |
|
'23 PFF Grade |
72.5 (30th) |
69.0 (42nd) |
|
'23 Opposing QB Rating Allowed |
56.2 |
88.2 |
|
'23 Completion Percentage Allowed |
51.0 |
59.3 |
|
'23 Yards per Target Allowed |
4.8 |
7.3 |
|
'23 Yards per Completion Allowed |
9.4 |
12.2 |
|
'23 Passing TDs allowed |
0 |
3 |
As the old saying goes, numbers don't lie. Sneed was graded higher by Pro Football Focus (take that for what you will) but neither one of them actually performed in an "elite" manner if you were to ask PFF.
Nonetheless, Sneed allowed a quarterback rating more than 30 points less than the newly-paid Surtain in 2023. That's nothing to sneeze at. That's a significant margin, folks.
Not to mention, Sneed was far more locked onto his receivers last season, allowing 2.5 yards less per target than Surtain.
Let's also not overshadow the fact that Sneed allowed zero passing touchdowns while playing 781 coverage snaps. Surtain, meanwhile, still gave up two scores while playing less snaps (669).
If the Titans were able to secure a cornerback who is just as talented as Surtain, if not better in some areas, and for far less money ... you do the math.
It's pretty clear. Once again, numbers don't lie.
