On Sunday, the Tennessee Titans will wrap up their preseason schedule against the New Orleans Saints. The starters will get approximately three series before turning it over to the backups.
With roster cuts looming next week, Sunday’s game will provide one final opportunity for players to showcase themselves. Bubble players can solidify their roster spots, and backups can jump into a starting role.
The Titans’ offensive line has been a hot topic for most of the offseason, and Sunday’s narrative figures to be no different. As such, the battle for the starting right tackle job is the most important position battle remaining, as identified by Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton,
Here was Moton’s analysis:
The Tennessee Titans bolstered their offensive line with the addition of center Lloyd Cushenberry III and rookie first-rounder JC Latham, but they still have a big question mark at right tackle.
Petit-Frere struggled through his 2022 rookie campaign. Last season, he only appeared in three outings because the league suspended him for violating the gambling policy and due to injury.
The Titans activated Petit-Frere off the physically unable to perform list in the first week of August. Perhaps he knocks off the rust to reclaim the starting right tackle spot, but his absence opens the door for Duncan to win the job.
In 2023, Duncan started in five out 10 games, but he mostly lined up on the left side. Barring a late offseason pickup or a trade, Petit-Frere may have one more year to show that he’s a long-term starter at tackle in Tennessee.
Head coach Brian Callahan hinted that Petit-Frere might have the inside track for the right tackle job. The former third-round pick has 19 games, including 18 starts of experience under his belt. However, the concerns are noted from his up-and-down rookie season to the suspension and injury-shortened sophomore year.
Petit-Frere will need to solidify his job in Sunday’s game, while Duncan, who, as Moton noted, saw over 90 percent of his playing time at left tackle last year, was praised by the coaching staff earlier this week for his ability to play at both tackle positions.
One thing is for certain: the Titans’ offensive line must give second-year quarterback Will Levis more time to throw this season. Whoever can do that will likely earn the lion’s share of the starts.