The Tennessee Titans are going into the upcoming season with a new shutdown cornerback.

L’Jarius Sneed, who is entering his fifth season after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, is coming to the Titans after winning back-to-back Super Bowls. Sneed gives the Titans a pillar for the defense for years to come after signing a long-term extension with Tennessee that will keep him on the roster until the end of the 2027 season.

Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine graded the Titans trade for Sneed and gave the team an “A” for the move.

“The move should be considered a big win for the Titans. Sneed was easily the best cornerback to change teams this offseason, and the Titans had plenty of cap space to sign him to a four-year, $76.4 million extension. At this stage of the Titans’ rebuild, getting a bona fide difference-maker for a third-round pick is a no-brainer,” Ballentine writes.

Sure, the Titans need young talent, but they are still hoping their trip to the bottom of the barrel in the AFC South is a quick one. Tennessee finished 6-11 last season, just four games back of the first-place Houston Texans, who went from worst to first in just one year.

The Titans’ chances of doing what the Texans did increases with the addition of Sneed, who should be a top player for the team in the upcoming season. His Super Bowl experience should stand out for a defense that finished in the middle of the pack last year.

Sneed also has the prime of his career coming up at the tender age of 27. Chances are, he still has some of his best football ahead of him, and the Titans are lucky to be able to have someone like that in their corner.

If Sneed can play up to the big contract extension he got and remain as one of the league’s top cornerbacks, Tennessee’s rebuild won’t be as long and drawn out as it has to be.