The Titans are making multiple changes to their offensive line by waiving Nicholas Petit-Frere and signing Sam Mustipher, Brenden Jaimes and Oli Udoh Titans senior team writer Jim Wyatt passes along.
A 2022 third-round pick out of Ohio State, Petit-Frere started 16 games at right tackle as a rookie. Viewed temporarily as a player who could help the Titans recover from their historic Isaiah Wilson whiff in the 2020 first round, Petit-Frere was unable to sustain momentum and stick as the team’s RT starter. The Titans have since changed GMs twice since drafting him.
A suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy and a shoulder injury limited Petit-Frere to just three appearances in 2023. After being briefly shifted to LT in 2023, Petit-Frere returned to start at RT to open the 2024 season but lost his starting job after Week 6 due to poor performance. After injuries decimated the Titans’ tackle depth, Petit-Frere started from Weeks 11 to 16, giving him a total of 34 appearances and 28 starts in his career in Tennessee.
As a former Day 2 pick with a prototypical frame for an NFL tackle, Petit-Frere could receive some interest on the waiver wire. However, that would require his new team to take on his 2025 salary, which was bumped to $3.4MM due to the league’s Proven Performance Escalators. Teams may prefer to wait until after the draft to sign Petit-Frere for less money in free agency.
None of the Titans’ new offensive line signings are expected to take over Petit-Frere’s spot at right tackle. Instead, the team plans to move 2024 first-round JC Latham back to his college position, with new free agent signing Dan Moore Jr. taking over Latham’s job at left tackle. This left less use for Petit-Frere, whom the current coaching staff inherited in 2024. The Titans will hope Latham stops a revolving post-Jack Conklin door at RT.
With Kevin Zeitler added to join a line housing former first-round guard Peter Skoronski and high-priced center Lloyd Cushenberry, Mustipher, Udoh and Jaimes are coming in to vie for backup jobs. Udoh and Mustipher held full-season starting roles — both in the NFC North — but each has settled onto the backup level since. The trio joins free agency addition Blake Hance, the recently re-signed Corey Levin and holdover Jaelyn Duncan as potential Tennessee second-string blockers.
Udoh started 16 games as the Vikings’ top right guard in 2021, working almost exclusively as a backup since. He played two more…