Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan confirmed that only one player has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers:
cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. Sneed, who has been sidelined with a quad injury, did not practice all week and will not travel with the team to LA.
This marks the fourth consecutive game Sneed will miss, despite initially being labeled as “day-to-day” almost a month ago.
The question remains: why has Sneed been out for so long with what seemed like a minor injury?
And why didn’t the Titans place him on Injured Reserve if he was going to miss four games? Coach Callahan addressed these concerns on Friday.
Sneed’s Quad Injury
Sneed was originally diagnosed with a bruised quad after a game against the Indianapolis Colts last month—a painful injury, but not typically one that requires missed time.
Initially, the Titans believed Sneed would only be out for a day or two at most.
In fact, the day after the loss to Indianapolis, Callahan was unaware that Sneed was hurt.
“There’s nothing I don’t think is going to be outside of the normal. Nothing came up in the game, if that’s the question,” Callahan said when asked about Sneed’s condition.
However, as time passed and the bruise wasn’t healing as expected, the Titans decided to conduct an MRI on Sneed’s quad.
It was then they discovered he also had a quad strain on top of the bruise.
Muscle strains can be significantly more serious and may sideline a player for extended periods.
In Sneed’s case, the strain was more severe, which has prolonged his recovery.
By the time the Titans’ coaching staff discovered the strain, they were optimistic that Sneed could return before missing four additional games.
They chose not to place him on Injured Reserve, but his recovery has been slower than anticipated. Sneed continues his rehab, with Tennessee hoping for a quicker return.
However, the fact that he still isn’t participating in even limited practices suggests he may miss more games.
This is concerning for a player who signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract with over $50 million guaranteed in the offseason.
