Tag: Nicholas Petit-Frere

Report: Titans expected to keep OT Andre Dillard

The Titans are reportedly expected to keep Andre Dillard in 2024.

Just about everyone on the planet thought the Tennessee Titans would cut left tackle Andre Dillard after a disastrous 2023 campaign, but it appears that may not be the slam dunk we all expected it would be.

In fact, according to Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network, the Titans are expected to keep Dillard around for 2024. And, Caplan adds that if Dillard sticks around, the team could hold a competition at right tackle between Jaelyn Duncan and Nicholas Petit-Frere.

While their plan could change, Tennessee is currently expected to retain veteran LT Andre Dillard, league sources said.

Dillard, who signed a three-year, $29 million deal last March, started 10 games last season for the Titans but was benched for some others. It’s worth noting that $6 million of his $9 million base salary for this season becomes fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the new league year, a league source confirmed. The new league year opens at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

If the Titans stick with Dillard, it would be expected that third-year OT Nicholas Petit-Frere and second-year OT Jaelyn Duncan would compete for the starting RT job. But even so, that wouldn’t preclude Tennessee from drafting a left tackle or adding competition to that position in free agency.

If Dillard is the starting left tackle for Week 1, there might be a mutiny in Tennessee. Keeping him would be much more digestible if the plan is to leave him on the bench as a backup on a reduced salary — and even then I’d have nightmares about the possibility of him getting into an actual game.

After all, he was the worst left tackle in the sport after signing a three-year, $29 million deal, and was so bad that we longed for the days of Dennis Daley.

Just in case you thought there was some hope that Dillard could be fixed by an elite offensive line coach like Bill Callahan, bear in mind that the former first-round pick was once coached by Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who is equally respected around the NFL.

As for the other part of this report, you can’t talk about an in-house battle at right tackle without mentioning Dillon Radunz as a candidate after the former second-round pick finished the 2023 season strong at the position.

Some believe Radunz is best suited to be a guard, and that may very well be true. However, he should be considered the favorite for the right tackle job if the Titans don’t make a big splash at the position in free agency and don’t plan on moving Radunz to guard.

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Titans tied for most O-linemen drafted in Rounds 1-3 since 2019

The Titans are tied for the most offensive line picks in the first three rounds of drafts since 2019.

Only two teams in the NFL have drafted as many offensive lineman in the first three rounds of drafts as the Tennessee Titans have since 2019.

Ian Hartitz of Fantasy Life crunched the numbers and they show the Titans have taken a total of five offensive lineman from Rounds 1 to 3 over the previous five drafts.

That’s tied for the most in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants.

That’s significant because, despite the high number, the Titans have sported one of the worst offensive lines in the league for three years running.

Tennessee gave up 47 sacks in 2021 (seventh-most), 49 in 2022 (tied fifth-most) and 64 in 2023 (tied fourth-most). The Titans also gave up 56 sacks in 2019, the third-most in the league.

The five linemen Tennessee has drafted in the first three rounds in that span are Nate Davis (2019), Isaiah Wilson (2020), Dillon Radunz (2021), Nicholas Petit-Frere (2022) and Peter Skoronski (2023). Of course, Davis and Wilson are no longer with the team.

Davis was OK over his four years in Nashville but dealt with injury issues and it’s safe to say he didn’t pan exactly how Tennessee had hoped, and Wilson was one of the worst draft picks in NFL history.

After two rocky years that included a torn ACL in 2022, Radunz finally started showing he may be a starting-caliber player in his third season following a strong finish.

NPF had an up-and-down rookie season in 2022 before losing his starting job in 2023 following a gambling suspension, and then he suffered a season-ending injury after struggling in his limited opportunities.

Skoronski had his issues during his rookie campaign but it was a solid season nonetheless. It’s important to note that the Northwestern product was learning a new position and had to overcome an appendectomy that sapped his weight and strength. He managed to finish the season strong, though.

Former general manager Jon Robinson was an absolute disaster in the draft after an incredible 2019 class, but his misses along the offensive line were easily the most glaring.

There is still time, however, for NPF and Radunz to prove Robinson right.

Current general manager Ran Carthon looks to have hit on his first offensive line pick in the first three rounds (Skoronski) and there’s a chance he’ll get another crack at it this year with the Titans set to rebuild their offensive line.

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Titans place Nicholas Petit-Frere on IR among 5 moves

The Titans announced five roster moves on Saturday.

The Tennessee Titans announced a total of five moves on Saturday in advance of their Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The biggest of the bunch is the placement of offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere on injured reserve. Petit-Frere, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, will miss at least the next four games.

However, it will reportedly be longer than that, as Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky reported earlier in the week that NPF’s shoulder injury would require surgery and he’s likely to miss the remainder of the season.

The team has yet to confirm that, though.

With NPF out, the Titans will need to fill the void at left tackle. There’s also a void at right guard this week, as Daniel Brunskill has been ruled out with an ankle injury.

Fans rightly want to see Dillon Radunz get the next crack at left tackle with the team unwilling to move Peter Skoronski over from left guard.

But as much as fans don’t want to hear it, chances are the Titans will deploy Andre Dillard in NPF’s stead and Radunz in place of Brunskill. Both players were spotted practicing at those positions during the week.

Now, a look at the rest of the moves the Titans made ahead of Sunday.

Report: Titans’ Nicholas Petit-Frere likely out for season

Titans offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere is reportedly likely out for the season.

Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere suffered a shoulder injury during the Week 9 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers that is reportedly likely to end his season.

According to Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, NPF is set to have surgery on his injured shoulder that will “most likely” sideline him for the remainder of the 2023 campaign.

A 2022 third-round pick, Petit-Frere missed the first four games of the season due to a suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy and ended up losing the starting right tackle job to Chris Hubbard in the process.

NPF saw his first action in Week 6, when he replaced a struggling Andre Dillard at left tackle.

The Ohio State product then moved back to right tackle in Week 8 after Hubbard exited with an injury that forced him to miss Week 9, also. NPF played just 17 snaps before leaving the Steelers game.

In 65 pass-block snaps between left and right tackle, NPF surrendered 11 pressures and three sacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

Assuming Hubbard returns in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Titans could deploy either Dillon Radunz or Dillard at left tackle.

There’s no question the choice should be Radunz, as he’s been good when given opportunities this season and Dillard has been an absolute disaster throughout.

If Hubbard doesn’t return, that would open the door wider for Dillard to play, but I’d prefer giving rookie Jaelyn Duncan a shot at either spot instead, and preferably at right tackle with Radunz on the left side.

Of course, we would love to see left guard Peter Skoronski get a shot at the position first, with Radunz playing left guard, but past comments by head coach Mike Vrabel make that seem unlikely.

“He’s going to be a left guard,” Vrabel said of Skoronski late last month, per Paul Kuharsky. “We think that’s going to be a really, really good position for him.”

Tennessee has more options on the practice squad in tackles Andrew Rupcich and John Ojukwu, one of whom will likely be promoted if the Titans don’t add from free agency.

Whatever the Titans decide to do, it shouldn’t include Dillard getting another chance.

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Stock up, stock down for Titans going into Week 10

Shaun Calderon takes a look at the players (and a coach) who either improved or hurt their stock the most in Week 9.

The Tennessee Titans have had a handful of days to digest their deflating 20-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Thursday, a game that wasn’t a pretty contest by any means.

There were a lot of moments the team certainly wishes it could have back. In fact, if the Titans somehow find a way to go on a second-half run but fall just short of making the playoffs, this is the kind of game that they’ll look back on as one that got away.

Despite the loss, there were some players who found a way to improve their individual stock ahead of a Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On the contrary, several others ended up lowering theirs by the end of the weekend.

Scroll down below to see which three players we felt raised their stocks and which players/coaches ended up lowering theirs after the disappointing defeat at the hands of the Steelers.

Titans’ Nicholas Petit-Frere on track to start at LT in Week 8

Titans OT Nicholas Petit-Frere is on track to get the start at left tackle this week.

The Tennessee Titans appear to have thrown in the towel on the Andre Dillard at left tackle experiment after benching him in favor of fellow offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere in Week 6.

When asked about the position on Tuesday, head coach Mike Vrabel said NPF would be working with the starters at left tackle in practice this week and Dillard is moving to a swing (or backup) role.

“Nick will be out there today with the 1s,” Vrabel said, per Jim Wyatt of the team’s official website. “Andre needs to prepare as the starter and be ready to play both sides, and when he gets another opportunity, take advantage of it.”

Petit-Frere, who was suspended for the first four games of the season, made his 2023 debut in Week 6 when he came in the game for Dillard.

However, he definitely had his issues, with NPF giving up the same amount of pressures (four) and one more sack (two) than Dillard totaled in eight less snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

But it’s important to remember this was Petit-Frere’s very first action in his second year and it came at a position he hasn’t played at in the NFL yet, so he should get a longer look.

The thought all along has been that 2023 first-round pick and left guard Peter Skoronski, who was a great left tackle in college, would get a shot at some point.

Unfortunately, Vrabel put a damper on that idea and made it sound like Skoronski will stay at left guard for the long haul. Hopefully that changes should things go south with Petit-Frere.

“He’s going to be a left guard,” Vrabel said of Skoronski, per Paul Kuharsky. “We think that’s going to be a really, really good position for him.”

The Titans would be doing themselves a disservice to not at least take a look at Skoronski at left tackle if NPF doesn’t pan out. After all, the rookie could very well be a long-term solution at one of the most important positions on offense, which would make Tennessee’s potential rebuild at least a bit easier.

It’s understandable to be hesitant about switching a young player’s position and risking it not working out and having to move him back, but I think Skoronski is good enough and mature enough to handle that.

As far as Dillard is concerned, he now becomes a top cut candidate for the Titans in 2024, barring an epic turnaround. For now, he’ll be lurking in the shadows hoping for another opportunity, either at left or right tackle, something I don’t see happening unless injuries occur.

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Titans’ Mike Vrabel talks Nicholas Petit-Frere at LT, Kristian Fulton and Tre Avery

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel touched on the two notable changes the team made in Week 6.

The Tennessee Titans made two notable changes to their lineup during the Week 6 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Tennessee replaced Andre Dillard at left tackle with Nicholas Petit-Frere, and the team deployed a combination of Kristian Fulton and Tre Avery at cornerback.

On Monday, head coach Mike Vrabel noted he was pleased with the effort Petit-Frere gave after the Ohio State product was inserted in the second half following Dillard giving up a sack.

“We’ll still evaluate that,” Vrabel said of the position, per Jim Wyatt. “But what I did appreciate is that Nick was into it, he acted like he wanted to be out there. He acted like he loved it, and was pushing piles, jumping over the pile. Squeezing the last couple of yards out of every run, he was down there. (He was) doing things we feel like are critical.”

I’m not sure if that’s a shot at Dillard’s effort, but it can certainly be construed as such. Whatever the case may be, the Dillard experiment on the left side may be over, at least for now.

According to Pro Football Focus, Petit-Frere (17.4) actually posted a worse pass-blocking grade than Dillard (20.7) and gave up two sacks to Dillard’s one. Both players surrendered four pressures.

Fulton, who had been struggling mightily going into Week 6, started for the Titans but was pulled from the game temporarily for Avery before being re-inserted. Fulton still played 55 snaps (77 percent) and Avery contributed 18 (25 percent).

Vrabel said the move was not because of an injury and that the team “wanted to try and give Tre a little bit if work and see how that went,” per Wyatt.

The Titans head coach said he was happy with Fulton’s showing, but noted the embattled cornerback was not challenged as much as he was against the Indianapolis Colts. Vrabel added there is no concrete plan for the position moving forward.

Fulton posted a PFF coverage grade of 54.6 and gave up four catches on five targets thrown his way for 24 yards. Avery notched a 76.0 coverage grade, the second-best on the team, and allowed one catch on the lone target he faced, which went for four yards.

Tennessee will have the bye week to figure out their approach at both positions ahead of the Week 8 contest against the Atlanta Falcons.

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Titans confirm Nicholas Petit-Frere isn’t getting his job back

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed that the team will be sticking with Chris Hubbard over Nicholas Petit-Frere.

When Tennessee Titans right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere was suspended to start the season, it was thought the team would just cover the void and the second-year offensive lineman would slide right back in his job upon his return.

However, veteran right tackle Chris Hubbard has played well in NPF’s stead, and so much so that he has completely taken over the starting job Petit-Frere owned in his rookie season in 2022.

Earlier this week, head coach Mike Vrabel said that NPF had to “earn a spot back.” On Wednesday, Vrabel made himself even clearer, saying that the Ohio State product would have a tough time getting it back.

Petit-Frere not being immediately inserted back into the lineup says a few things, the first of which is obvious: the Titans are happy with Hubbard.

But it also shows the Titans aren’t that high on NPF. After all, if Tennessee viewed Petit-Frere as a talented young offensive lineman who they were confident would be an upgrade, he’d be in there.

While things aren’t looking great for NPF to get back into a starting role right now, it certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility he returns to one at some point.

Hubbard, who currently ranks 17th in the NFL among tackles in pass-block win rate, has no doubt been a pleasant surprise for Tennessee, especially when you consider he didn’t play much for a few years.

However, he hasn’t been as good in his last three games as he was in the first two. Hubbard has given up eight pressures and three sacks the past three weeks, as compared to allowing just one pressure over the first two.

If Hubbard struggles moving forward, it wouldn’t shocking to see NPF get his job back. Adding to that, the struggles of left tackle Andre Dillard create another potential avenue for Petit-Frere to get back on the field.

In the mean time, NPF has to get himself acclimated in order to simply dress after he was inactive last week. Once he’s ready, he’s expected to serve as Tennessee’s swing tackle until further notice.

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Titans’ Mike Vrabel: Nicholas Petit-Frere has to ‘earn a spot back’

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel touched on OT Nicholas Petit-Frere’s status on Monday.

One of the biggest questions going into Week 5 was the status of Tennessee Titans tackle, Nicholas Petit-Frere, who was returning was suspension after having it reduced from six to four games.

Not only was NPF uncertain to suit up, it wasn’t clear if he’d be returning to his starting job after Chris Hubbard had played well for the most part over Tennessee’s first four games.

The Ohio State product saw reps on the left side during the week in practice, which caused a bit of a stir, but at the end of the day he was ruled out on Friday.

When asked about Petit-Frere’s status for Week 6, head coach Mike Vrabel said, according to Jim Wyatt, that NPF “has been out a while, so he’ll have to earn a spot back onto the offensive line and what we’re trying to do. So, he had a little bit of practice last week, and he’ll have more this week”

Barring a complete meltdown, Petit-Frere will, at least, be this team’s swing tackle. But if the plan isn’t to return him to a starting role once Vrabel deems him ready, there’s certainly avenues for him to get back into one outside of just injury.

Hubbard has been far better than expected, no doubt, but he isn’t set in stone if he falters.

On the left side, you have Andre Dillard, who has gone two games without imploding (he did gave up five pressures in Week 5, though) but is a bad game or two away from possibly losing his job.

So, while things don’t look great for NPF’s prospects of starting right now, it may not be long before we see him atop the depth chart, wherever that may be.

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7 ruled out, 1 questionable in Colts vs. Titans

Here’s a look at the players with injury designations for the Week 5 matchup.

The Indianapolis Colts (2-2) and Tennessee Titans (2-2) are just about set for a Week 5 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium.

On the final injury reports, the Colts ruled out three players while listing one as questionable ahead of this divisional matchup. The Titans, meanwhile, had four players ruled out, one of which is not injury-related.

Here’s a look at the players with injury designations in the Week 5 matchup: