The Tennessee Titans spent premium resources on reshaping the left side of their offensive line this offseason. General manager Ran Carthon drafted left tackle JC Latham with the No. 7 overall selection, and also spent $50 million on free-agent center Lloyd Cushenberry in free agency.
The Titans possessed various holes to address, so that required some in-house growth from young players on the roster. With legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan in the fold, the team decided to entrust the right side of the offensive line to Dillon Radunz (guard) and Nicholas Petit-Frere (tackle). It's been disastrous through three completed contests.
Starting quarterback Will Levis was sacked on eight occasions in Sunday's embarrassing 30-14 Week 3 defeat to Malik Willis and the Green Bay Packers. It represented the highest amount of sacks in any NFL game so far this season. After Petit-Frere was at fault for a second-half strip sack, he was replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore blocker Jaelyn Duncan.
😤😤😤😤😤#GBvsTEN pic.twitter.com/adS0vSKtsL
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 22, 2024
The numbers on Petit-Frere were absolutely dreadful. Pro Football Focus credited him with allowing that sack and one additional hurry en route to a pass protection grade of 48.3.
The problem? Duncan didn't necessarily fare any better. The former sixth-round selection out of Maryland allowed two pressures via just 19 pass-blocking snaps. His score in pass protection was actually worse than Petit-Frere's at 36.9.
Head coach Brian Callahan plans to let the upcoming week of practice decide who's going to start at right tackle versus the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football in Week 4.
"We'll let those guys play it out," Callahan told local media during Monday's press conference. "I thought Nick played well enough at the core of the game . But his three bad plays were very bad plays. That's what the issue is, the consistency. I'm not going to make any commentary until we get through a week of practice and see where everybody's at."
It was a horrid follow-up performance after Petit-Frere played arguably the worst game of his career against the New York Jets in Week 2. The former Ohio State tackle was credited with nine (!) pressures. Days later, he revealed an off-field partnership with Fantasy Life. The timing of that announcement wasn't great.
Petit-Frere has allowed a sack in every game this season. He's clearly not the long-term answer. Duncan played poorly in relief, indicating the Titans simply don't have an in-house solution to their woes at right tackle. Callahan will pick his poison prior to Monday's national showdown with the Dolphins.