NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan ruled just one player OUT for Sunday’s games against the Los Angeles Chargers: CB L’Jarius Sneed.
Sneed did not practice all week with with a quad injury and will not make the trip to LA with the team. This will now be the fourth straight game Sneed has missed after initially being diagnosed as “day-to-day” nearly a full month ago.
So why has Sneed missed so much time with such a minor injury? And why didn’t the Titans place him on Injured Reserve if he was going to miss four games? Tennessee’s head coach provided some answers on Friday.
Sneed’s Quad Injury
Sneed was initially diagnosed with a bruised quad after a game against the Indianapolis Colts last month. It’s a painful injury. But not one that requires a player to miss time. At first, the Titans believed Sneed would miss a day or two at most.
In fact, Brian Callahan didn’t even realize Sneed was hurt the day after the loss to Indianapolis. “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,” said Callahan when asked about Sneed’s health.
As time went on and the bruise wasn’t healing, the Titans decided to do an MRI on Sneed’s quad. It was then that they discovered Sneed also had a quad strain on top of the bruise.
Muscle strains can be far more serious and sideline a player for extended periods of time. In Sneed’s case, his strain is more severe. It’s still holding him back.
By the time the Titans’ coaching staff discovered the strain, they were hopeful that Sneed would be able to return before missing four additional games. They opted to keep him off of Injured Reserve, but things are moving slower than anticipated.
Sneed continues to do his rehab. Tennessee is hoping to get him back sooner rather than later. But the fact that he is still not even a limited participant in practice leads me to believe that this won’t be the last game he misses. It’s a serious concern for a player that signed a four-year, $76.4 million deal with over $50 million guaranteed in the offseason.
