How did Chiefs’ L’Jarius Sneed respond to Pro Bowl snub? Here’s what his coaches said
Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt said he was on the phone Wednesday night with cornerback L’Jarius Sneed just after the Pro Bowl selections were released — and Sneed didn’t make the roster.
Merritt’s message to the Chiefs’ fourth-year defensive back? Stay hungry, humble and positive, because his turn will come soon.
“He’s the type of young man that, he’s not going to put the spotlight on himself,” Merritt said Thursday. “And that could be one of the reasons why (he didn’t make the Pro Bowl), because he’s not flashy or flamboyant. He kind of does his job and goes up under the radar.”
Plenty of folks still believed Sneed’s work deserved Pro Bowl status.
That included ESPN’s Seth Walder, who listed Sneed as one of the NFL’s biggest snubs. NFL.com’s Kevin Patra had a similar sentiment, ranking Sneed as the second-most-worthy Pro Bowl player who wasn’t selected.
The four AFC players taken were the Broncos’ Pat Surtain II, the Jets’ Sauce Gardner, the Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey and the Browns’ Denzel Ward. Fan votes, player votes, and coaches’ votes each count as one-third of the overall equation for Pro Bowl selection.
“The beautiful thing about our country is that people are able to voice their opinion. They’re able to vote,” Merritt said. “And so the fans decided that he wasn’t good enough to make the Pro Bowl.
“I know if I was a defensive coordinator, he’s one of the first guys that I’m going to come and grab, because he’s probably one of the more complete corners that I’ve ever been around in my building, as far as when it comes to tackling as well as coverage.”
Linebacker Drue Tranquill previously had vented some of his frustration on social media Wednesday, saying on X that it was an “absolute joke” that Sneed didn’t make the Pro Bowl roster.
Sneed wasn’t the only candidate on the Chiefs, either. Trent McDuffie, a second-year player out of Washington, was also a candidate after ranking third among all AFC cornerbacks in Pro Football Focus’ defensive grades.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo admitted Thursday that he’d be “lying if I didn’t say I was disappointed” that Sneed and McDuffie didn’t earn the distinction.
“You know how I feel about those guys. It is what it is,” Spagnuolo said. “Again, because I know those guys, they’re more concerned with the bigger picture. But yeah, ‘disappointed’ is a pretty good word.”
Sneed, who is dealing with a calf injury, did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. He would likely have missed Sunday’s road game at the Los Angeles Chargers with or without the ailment, as KC is resting most of its top starters while locked into the AFC’s No. 3 seed.
In his fourth year with the Chiefs, Sneed will be a free agent after the season. Merritt said he didn’t anticipate Wednesday’s Pro Bowl news would affect the cornerback moving forward.
“To be honest with you, he hasn’t talked about it, which is LJ’s style. And (he) hasn’t said a word,” Merritt said. “And everyone else has made comments about it, but he hasn’t said one word about it.”
