Tyler Boyd
Brian Callahan brought in Tyler Boyd on a one-year deal this offseason for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, Boyd spent the previous five seasons (2019-23) alongside Callahan in Cincinnati. The veteran receiver was crucial to helping first-year starting quarterback Will Levis, and new addition Mason Rudolph, pick up the offense during the offseason install.
Boyd was also added to play the slot receiver role in Callahan's preferred 11 personnel package. The Titans did not have a clear-cut in-house fit to play that role prior to his signing. And though he's been helpful at times, Boyd has largely looked like an aging 30-year-old receiver reaching the end of his line.
Boyd finished the season ranked fourth on the Titans in receiving yards and receptions. He probably would have placed fifth in both categories had general manager Ran Carthon not dealt DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs at the trade deadline. Boyd was fairly inconsequential on one of the worst passing attacks in the league.
If Callahan returns in 2025, and the expectation is that he will, the Titans will need a new, more dynamic receiver in that familiar slot role. Rudolph is on an expiring contract and the Titans will face a complicated situation with Levis, now that they've deemed he's not starter material. Whoever the starting quarterback is, he'll have to learn the offense without having Boyd as a mentor at his disposal. The offense requires better on-field results from that position than what Boyd can give them.
Nicholas Petit-Frere
Arguably the biggest error judgment Carthon and Callahan made this season was believing that their Hall of Fame worthy offensive line coach Bill Callahan could maximize Nicholas Petit-Frere. Despite having a potential need at right tackle, Carthon and the Callahan's completely ignored the position during the offseason, believing in Petit-Frere's ability to take developmental steps forward. It was a belief that totally blew up in their faces.
Petit-Frere opened the campaign as the starter, but was benched on multiple occasions. The Titans played five different players at right tackle throughout 2024, and none of those decisions were made due to injury. They simply rotated below-average blockers time and time again, searching for even league-average results. They never found them.
Petit-Frere allowed a league-worst 10 sacks and 41 pressures despite receiving inconsistent playing time. Tennessee's right tackle position was undeniably the worst on any offensive line in the entire league. That failure falls at the feet of Carthon and Callahan for failing to properly address an offseason need.
Petit-Frere is technically under contract through 2025. A 2022 third-rounder, it was Jon Robinson's final draft class as general manager, a gift that keeps on giving (Treylon Burks included). The Titans can only save approximately $1.5 million against the cap by releasing him, but the decision has more to do with accountability and wasted resources than it does financial savings. The Titans need to acquire an instant starter at right tackle this offseason, and there's absolutely no need for them to continue wasting time with Petit-Frere's shortcomings.