The Tennessee Titans made four moves on the offensive line on Thursday. The highlight of their transactions was to release former third-round NFL Draft bust Nicholas Petit-Frere. Elsewhere, they added three veteran offensive linemen to the roster in Sam Mustipher, Brenden Jaimes, and Oli Udoh.
The @Titans have signed offensive linemen Sam Mustipher (@smustipher53), @BrendenJaimes and Olisaemeka Udoh (@OliUdoh).
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) April 17, 2025
The Titans have released tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere.
READ https://t.co/0xMrZb6Gvw pic.twitter.com/a9uHwOH7io
Two of the Titans' additions have something in common. Mustipher and Jaimes have seen the bulk of their NFL experience occur at center. That is no coincidence. The Titans currently have starter Lloyd Cushenberry recovering from a serious season-ending Achilles injury. Prior to adding Mustipher and Jaimes, the only insurance on the roster was provided by journeyman Corey Levin. Levin is now sure to face competition in training camp, as he should.
Mustipher entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears in 2019. He's since played for the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, and Los Angeles Chargers. In 2024, Mustipher played 105 snaps as a guard and/or sixth offensive lineman. He logged more than 2,000 snaps as a starting center in 2021 and 2022, however.
Jaimes has mostly been a reserve backup since being drafted by the Chargers in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The former Nebraska standout earned the most playing time of his career as a third-year player in 2023. You guessed it, with James playing 241 snaps at center for the Chargers throughout that campaign.
Udoh is the one departure from that strategy. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of small-school Elon. Udoh has exclusively played guard and tackle throughout his career, having never logged a single snap at center.
The Titans are now in the market for a swing tackle behind Dan Moore Jr. and JC Latham after releasing Petit-Frere. Udoh joins a cast of deep back-end roster players that includes Jaelyn Duncan and John Ojukwu. It remains to be seen where the Titans will primarily play Blake Hance, a versatile free-agent signing who previously played guard and tackle for offensive line coach Bill Callahan in Cleveland. General manager Mike Borgonzi may also select a tackle in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Cushenberry, who was signed to a lucrative contract by previous GM Ran Carthon, isn't guaranteed to recapture peak physical form off an Achilles. Mustipher and Jaimes will now push Levin for the primary insurance role. The Titans continue preparing for Cam Ward's inevitable arrival.