In his old job as Bengals offensive coordinator, Titans head coach Brian Callahan schemed against cornerback L’Jarius Sneed several times in the last few years.
Now both Callahan and Sneed are on the same squad in Tennessee. On Wednesday, Callahan noted his excitement about acquiring the cornerback.
“Man, I played against L’Jarius enough times to have an immense amount of respect for how he goes about his business,” Callahan said in his press conference. “And you guys got to see a little bit of it in his press conference, but he is a fantastic person on top of it. So, I really feel like he’s a huge addition to our team both as a player and a person in the locker room.”
In addition to Sneed, the Titans signed cornerback Chidobe Awuzie to a three-year contract after he spent the last three seasons with Callahan in Cincinnati — albeit on the other side of the ball. Tennessee also has slot corner Roger McCreary, who was a second-round pick in 2022.
Callahan touted the combination of all three as significant for the Titans’ defense.
“The mentality that [Sneed] brings to the defense, and you pair him with Chido — two guys that are really physical, really aggressive — I think they change the whole demeanor of what you ask in the secondary in how they play,” Callahan said. “And then you add Roger into that mix as well, the fire that he plays with as a nickel, that’s a really good group of corners that play at a high level — and demand the same standard.
“And I think that’s what you’re looking for, ultimately, guys that play like that and then demand it from everybody else around them.”
Under the previous coaching staff, the Titans ranked No. 18 in passing yards allowed but were No. 32 with just six interceptions in 2023.
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