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Nicholas Petit-Frere

49ers Waive T Nicholas Petit-Frere, Place WR Trent Taylor On IR

June 3rd, 2025 at 4:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers have not yet brought in D.J. Humphries, despite spring reports to the contrary, but they will also take another tackle out of the equation ahead of minicamp. San Francisco waived recent addition Nicholas Petit-Frere on Tuesday.

A three-year Titans starter, Petit-Frere has now been cut by two teams this offseason. No one claimed the former third-round pick on waivers after his Tennessee exit, and without sufficient service time to pass straight to free agency, the young right tackle will head back to the wire.

San Francisco also placed wide receiver Trent Taylor on IR. Although teams now regularly activate players from IR, a placement on the injured list now will end Taylor’s season. Barring an injury settlement and subsequent return, Taylor is out of the picture for the 49ers in 2025. In a corresponding move, the team signed wide receiver Malik Knowles. Taylor suffered a back injury, per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows.

When the 49ers added Petit-Frere post-draft, they also signed one-year Titans left tackle Andre Dillard, who spent last season with the Packers. Dillard joins Spencer Burford as swing tackle options for the Niners. The team had shifted Burford from guard to tackle, giving the former inside starter reps behind the likes of Trent Williams, Colton McKivitz and the since-departed Jaylon Moore. Petit-Frere, 25, will look for another landing spot.

Petit-Frere beat out Dillon Radunz for the Titans’ RT job as a rookie in 2022, but his chances of stopping a revolving door at the position worsened in 2023 after a gambling suspension preceded a season-ending injury. The Ohio State product returned from injury to start 10 games last season, but he had arrived before respected O-line coach Bill Callahan. The elder of the two Callahans in key Titans positions now has 2024 first-round pick JC Latham at RT, after the Titans signed Dan Moore Jr. to man the blind side.

Taylor, 31, rejoined the 49ers in April 2024 and toggled between the practice squad and active roster last year. Though, the veteran receiver/return man played in just two games. The 49ers gave him a reserve/futures contract in January. Taylor spent four seasons in San Francisco to start his career, arriving during the Kyle Shanahan–John Lynch regime’s first offseason in charge. The former fifth-round pick served as a slot player and 49ers punt returner in that span, missing all of the 2019 Super Bowl LIV season due to injury. Taylor resurfaced in 2020 before moving to the Bengals (2021-22) and Bears (2023).

49ers To Bring In Nicholas Petit-Frere, Andre Dillard

May 9th, 2025 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Titans’ preferred 2023 tackle starters, Andre Dillard and Nicholas Petit-Frere are making an interesting joint move. The one-time Tennessee first-string tackle duo is heading to San Francisco.

Despite signing D.J. Humphries after the draft, the 49ers will also bring in Dillard and Petit-Frere. Tennessee waived Petit-Frere before the draft; no team claimed him. Dillard, whom the Titans released after one season, played in Green Bay last year. Both will be tied to one-year deals.

This particular Titans tandem did not last long together. Petit-Frere, who had served as the team’s primary right tackle in 2022, missed the start of the 2023 season due to a gambling suspension. Upon return, Petit-Frere split time between RT and LT (as Dillard did not pan out). An injury early into his already-abbreviated season shut down the former third-round pick, keeping Dillard as Tennessee’s primary LT. The Titans, however, moved on from his three-year, $29MM contract after that season.

Last year, Dillard made his way to the Packers. The Chiefs had shown interest, but Dillard ended up in Green Bay as a backup. The former first-rounder played all of 13 offensive snaps for a Packers team that used Rasheed Walker as its starting LT and used a first-round pick on Jordan Morgan.

Dillard, whom the Eagles traded up for in 2019, has made 19 career starts. Most of them have come at left tackle. Humphries having an extensive injury history does open the door to the 29-year-old tackle potentially having a shot at the 49ers’ swing tackle gig. For now, he will vie for a depth role behind Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz.

Petit-Frere, 25, may be the more interesting Friday addition. While Dillard had fallen off the starter level in 2024, Petit-Frere logged 614 right tackle snaps for the Titans last season. The Ohio State product has made 28 career starts; almost all of them have come at RT. Pro Football Focus has never graded Petit-Frere outside the bottom quartile among tackles, slotting him 76th (among 81 regulars) at the position last year. But his experience is certainly notable, especially as McKivitz has not established himself as an upper-echelon option.

One season remains on McKivitz’s contract; he is entering his third season as San Francisco’s post-Mike McGlinchey option at right tackle. It would not seem Petit-Frere is a direct threat to that job, given the latter’s spotty track record. But the 49ers bringing him in this early in the offseason could bring a storyline to monitor due to the younger blocker’s age an experience.

In addition to the tackle moves (and their Drake Jackson cut), the 49ers waived offensive lineman Jalen McKenzie and waived cornerback Tre Tomlinson with an injury designation.

Titans Waive T Nicholas Petit-Frere, Sign Three O-Linemen

April 17th, 2025 at 6:26pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Titans are making multiple changes to their offensive line by waiving Nicholas Petit-Frere and signing Sam Mustipher, Brenden Jaimes and Oli Udoh Titans senior team writer Jim Wyatt passes along.

A 2022 third-round pick out of Ohio State, Petit-Frere started 16 games at right tackle as a rookie. Viewed temporarily as a player who could help the Titans recover from their historic Isaiah Wilson whiff in the 2020 first round, Petit-Frere was unable to sustain momentum and stick as the team’s RT starter. The Titans have since changed GMs twice since drafting him.

A suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy and a shoulder injury limited Petit-Frere to just three appearances in 2023. After being briefly shifted to LT in 2023, Petit-Frere returned to start at RT to open the 2024 season but lost his starting job after Week 6 due to poor performance. After injuries decimated the Titans’ tackle depth, Petit-Frere started from Weeks 11 to 16, giving him a total of 34 appearances and 28 starts in his career in Tennessee.

As a former Day 2 pick with a prototypical frame for an NFL tackle, Petit-Frere could receive some interest on the waiver wire. However, that would require his new team to take on his 2025 salary, which was bumped to $3.4MM due to the league’s Proven Performance Escalators. Teams may prefer to wait until after the draft to sign Petit-Frere for less money in free agency.

None of the Titans’ new offensive line signings are expected to take over Petit-Frere’s spot at right tackle. Instead, the team plans to move 2024 first-round JC Latham back to his college position, with new free agent signing Dan Moore Jr. taking over Latham’s job at left tackle. This left less use for Petit-Frere, whom the current coaching staff inherited in 2024. The Titans will hope Latham stops a revolving post-Jack Conklin door at RT.

With Kevin Zeitler added to join a line housing former first-round guard Peter Skoronski and high-priced center Lloyd Cushenberry, Mustipher, Udoh and Jaimes are coming in to vie for backup jobs. Udoh and Mustipher held full-season starting roles — both in the NFC North — but each has settled onto the backup level since. The trio joins free agency addition Blake Hance, the recently re-signed Corey Levin and holdover Jaelyn Duncan as potential Tennessee second-string blockers.

Udoh started 16 games as the Vikings’ top right guard in 2021, working almost exclusively as a backup since. He played two more seasons in Minnesota and served as a New Orleans second-stringer last season. The Bears used Mustipher as their primary center from 2021-22 but did not retain him in 2023, leading to one-year Ravens and Chargers stopovers. Mustipher overlapped with Jaimes in L.A. Jaimes played in 46 games with the Bolts, starting three at center in 2023.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Titans Bring Back QB Trevor Siemian

October 9th, 2024 at 12:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Will Levis grapples with an AC joint sprain, the Titans are turning to one of their former backups as an insurance option. Trevor Siemian is back with the team.

Siemian, the Broncos’ initial post-Peyton Manning starter, has become a journeyman in the years since his 2018 Denver exit. One of the former seventh-round pick’s career stops came in Tennessee, with the Titans rostering him as a Ryan Tannehill backup from 2019-20.

Initially adding Siemian during training camp in 2019, the Titans kept him around as a reserve behind Tannehill and Marcus Mariota. Siemian stayed in 2020, as Mariota left for Las Vegas, but ended that season with the Saints. Siemian, 32, has since bounced around in a career that has also overlapped with new Titans HC Brian Callahan. Siemian spent a few months of the 2023 offseason with the Bengals, who ended up cutting him after the preseason last year.

This is a practice squad agreement. The Titans, who traded Malik Willis months after signing Mason Rudolph, have two active-roster QBs: Levis and Rudolph. The latter would start if Levis’ shoulder injury keeps him out. Callahan has insisted Levis remains his starter, despite the second-year QB’s early-season struggles. If Levis is out, however, Siemian would stand to be a gameday elevation for Week 6.

Siemian has made 33 career starts. Three of those came for the Jets last season. The Jets had brought in Siemian on a practice squad deal shortly after Aaron Rodgers‘ Achilles tear. Gang Green took heat for not having a better backup plan than Zach Wilson, but after Wilson returned to action following the third and final benching of his Jets career, a concussion ended his season. Siemian stepped in and finished the year as the team’s starter. He completed just 56.2% of his passes, at only 4.7 yards per attempt, but went 2-1 as a starter.

The Saints also used Siemian as a four-game starter, back in 2021, while the Bears turned to him to close out the 2022 season (to seal the 2023 No. 1 overall pick they then traded). For his career, the Northwestern alum has been with seven teams. This marks his second reunion, as the Jets had also rostered Siemian earlier in his career.

Additionally, the Titans added signed tackle Leroy Watson from their practice squad. Watson, whom the Titans acquired from the Browns this offseason, played under Bill Callahan in Cleveland. Watson has not played this season, failing to make Tennessee’s 53-man roster in August, but TitanInsider.com’s Terry McCormick notes he could split reps with Nicholas Petit-Frere this week at right tackle. Petit-Frere won that post out of training camp and has started all four Titans games, but Pro Football Focus ranks him 59th among tackles this season.

Dillon Radunz, Nicholas Petit-Frere In Line To Start For Titans

August 19th, 2024 at 5:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Saahdiq Charles‘ retirement caught the Titans off-guard, but the team had been pitting the free agency addition in an even competition with Dillon Radunz. As a result, the former second-round pick has zeroed in on Tennessee’s starting right guard spot. More continuity is likely here, even as GM Ran Carthon has largely reshaped the offense.

Carthon’s purge of Jon Robinson-era players is not set to include the right side of the Titans’ offensive line. Those position battles are not finished yet, but HC Brian Callahan said Radunz and Nicholas Petit-Frere are moving toward being the team’s starters.

[RELATED: Assessing Titans’ 2024 Offseason]

During a decade in which the Titans have been unable to find right tackle stability — since they let Jack Conklin walk as a 2020 free agent — it is interesting that two players who battled for the gig not long ago are likely to start alongside one another. The Titans’ disastrous Isaiah Wilson investment gave way to a second-round Radunz pick in 2021, but the North Dakota State product was unable to win the job. David Quessenberry started primarily in 2021, and a 2022 competition — after Quessenberry’s free agency exit — produced Petit-Frere as the starter. The 2022 third-round pick, however, encountered a gambling suspension last year and soon sustained a season-ending shoulder injury.

Radunz played four positions last season but primarily worked at right tackle. Pro Football Focus slotted him 41st at the position, a positive step during another injury-plagued Titans season up front. Radunz logged 504 snaps at right tackle and 166 at left guard, coming back after a December 2022 ACL tear. He played 19 snaps at right guard in 2023 and may have entered camp behind Charles, but the ex-Washington starter’s retirement changed the equation for the Titans.

Should Callahan’s current expectation come to fruition, this will also mark the second time in three years Daniel Brunskill will have been demoted. The 49ers used him as their starting right guard throughout the 2020 and ’21 seasons but demoted him to a platoon role with Spencer Burford in 2022. Brunskill, who followed Carthon to Tennessee last year, started all 14 games he played with the Titans in 2023.

This would be a nice opportunity for Radunz, who is in a contract year. Two seasons remain on Petit-Frere’s rookie deal. If an upset occurs and the job goes to another right tackle candidate, the Titans would go into a season with a sixth Week 1 RT in six years.

Petit-Frere started 16 games for the 2022 Titans but played in just three games last season. The team acquired ex-Bill Callahan Cleveland charge Leroy Watson via trade this year and signed veteran Geron Christian; those two joined 2023 sixth-round pick Jaelyn Duncan (five starts last season) in vying for roster spots.

Tennessee has locked-in starters at left tackle (JC Latham), left guard (Peter Skoronski) and center (Lloyd Cushenberry). If DeAndre Hopkins recovers in time for Week 1, the Titans are on track to have eight Carthon acquisitions as offensive starters. Two Robinson-era blockers, however, are poised to remain in the equation for another year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/24

August 2nd, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions as we head into the weekend:

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Petit-Frere has been rehabbing back from a medical procedure he underwent on his knee. The third-year lineman will now get an opportunity to enter the team’s position battle at right tackle.

AFC South Notes: Henry, Titans, OL, Jaguars, Peters, Colts, DBs, Smith, Texans

July 26th, 2024 at 5:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

As could be expected, Ran Carthon pushed back on the rumor he was overruled on trading Derrick Henry before last year’s deadline. A recent report said the Titans GM had a deal in place to send Henry elsewhere for a fourth-round pick — one with the potential to become a third — only to be denied. It is worth noting Carthon did not have full autonomy in his first year, with Mike Vrabel still in the mix, but does now. The second-year GM did say (via veteran Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky) multiple teams made offers for the two-time rushing champion last year. Carthon said no agreement was ultimately finalized on a trade. The Ravens were closely connected to the perennial 1,000-yard rusher, and the Titans ultimately agreed to move on this offseason — after a memorable Henry on-field farewell address — leading Henry to Baltimore.

Here is the latest from the AFC South:

  • Amid a widespread effort to retain their own talent this offseason, the Colts did not make a notable addition at cornerback. They have low-end investments — seventh-rounder Jaylon Jones, UDFA Dallis Flowers — as the primary contenders to start opposite JuJu Brents, while Kenny Moore mans the slot. The Colts are also preparing for 2022 third-rounder Nick Cross to become a full-time starter at safety alongside Julian Blackmon. GM Chris Ballard said (via The Athletic’s James Boyd) the team could “definitely” make a move to add a veteran DB, but that is not the plan right now. Indianapolis will continue to assess its in-house options before diving into the free agent or trade markets here.
  • Both Brents and right tackle Braden Smith underwent offseason surgery, per Boyd and Fox59’s Mike Chappell. Smith, who is entering his seventh season as Indy’s right tackle, underwent knee surgery this offseason. Brents, a 2023 second-rounder, had cleanup ankle surgery. The Kansas State product missed eight games last season, returning for the Colts’ final four contests after missing the previous six. Smith missed seven games last year. Neither player landed on Indy’s active/PUP list this week.
  • On the subject of offseason procedures, Titans RT hopeful Nicholas Petit-Frere underwent cleanup knee surgery, per ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport. Petit-Frere, who saw a shoulder malady end his 2023 season shortly after he was reinstated from a gambling suspension, remains on Tennessee’s active/PUP list following the knee procedure. The Titans’ primary RT starter in 2022, Petit-Frere is attempting to reclaim his job under new O-line coach Bill Callahan. The former third-rounder may well be favored to do so.
  • Adding Stefon Diggs gives the Texans receiving depth to the point multiple trade candidates may emerge. Still, the team sought some additional help by working out former Eagles contributor Greg Ward, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. A former Houston Cougars QB, Ward has not played in a regular-season game since 2021 and spent part of last season on Philly’s practice squad.
  • The Jaguars made some notable hires recently, adding longtime Cardinals exec Josh Scobey and recently retired DT Corey Peters to their front office. Both will join the organization as college scouts. Not to be confused with ex-Jacksonville kicker Josh Scobee, Scobey — an ex-NFL running back — spent the past 12 seasons as a Cardinals scout before an offseason separation. He finished his tenure as the team’s director of college scouting. After interviewing with the Titans, Scobey is with the Jags. Peters finished his career with the Jaguars in 2022, joining the team during GM Trent Baalke‘s first season in charge. Peters was with the Cardinals during much of Scobey’s Arizona stay. The Jags also added Mimi Bolden-Morris and Austin Leake as scouting assistants and announced Antonio Robinson‘s elevation to a college scouting post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/24

July 23rd, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: OT Julién Davenport

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

  • Reverted to IR: WR Jared Wayne
  • Released from IR: WR Jaxon Janke

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Latest On Titans’ RG, RT Position Battles

June 23rd, 2024 at 9:59pm CST by Ely Allen

The Titans and new offensive line coach Bill Callahan have quite a few familiar faces to work with in 2024, but there could be some big changes along the offensive line. A couple of position battles have developed in the early days of the offseason, according to Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt.

The team utilized Daniel Brunskill and Dillon Radunz mostly at right guard and right tackle, respectively, last year, but neither player seems to be solid in their job security. Brunskill has lost his starting job before in San Francisco. After earning a starting job partway through his rookie season, Brunskill started two more years for the 49ers. In 2022, Brunskill found himself coming off the bench in favor of then-rookie Spencer Burford. He started 14 games for the Titans last year. Radunz finally earned his opportunity to start at right tackle last year after failing to win the job his first two seasons and being forced to work as a backup guard.

Radunz’s tenure as the starting right tackle may already be coming to an end, though, as Wyatt sees Nicholas Petit-Frere taking back the job in 2024. Petit-Frere started his rookie season at right tackle for the team in 2022, but a combination of a suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy and a stint on injured reserve restricted him to only three games last season. Wyatt predicts that, given a healthy recovery, Petit-Frere will reclaim his starting job and push Radunz back to guard-duty.

Wyatt sees free agent addition Saahdiq Charles as the biggest threat to Brunskill’s job. Despite being limited in how much offensive linemen can do in organized team activities, Charles has reportedly had a very good spring. Charles comes from Washington where he started 10 of 11 game appearances at left guard last year after only starting eight games in his first three years combined. He’s looked the part enough in Tennessee to convince Wyatt that a change could be in effect.

It’s still a competition, though, and Wyatt notes that Charles will have to beat out Brunskill, and potentially Radunz should he get pushed back inside, for the job. He notes that the right tackle position will be a battle, as well, and though Petit-Frere and Radunz will get first looks, Leroy Watson, Jaelyn Duncan, and the newly acquired Geron Christian will all be in the mix, as well.

The rest of the line seems set. Peter Skoronski is reportedly likely to stay inside at left guard, the team drafted Alabama’s JC Latham in the first round to start at left tackle, and they signed Lloyd Cushenberry to start at center. While battles are set to ensue, the expectation is that some combination of two of Charles, Petit-Frere, Radunz, and Brunskill will be alongside them on the right side of the line in 2024.

Titans Rumors: Ridley, Gardner-Johnson, Dillard

March 13th, 2024 at 11:05pm CST by Ely Allen

The Titans have yearned for a No. 1 wide receiver since they traded away A.J. Brown. Literally since that exact moment, when they used the draft pick they acquired in that trade to draft Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks in the hopes that he would take over. They had also traded for former Rams wide receiver Robert Woods in hopes that he would return from injury to the form of his best years in Los Angeles.

When neither of those moves worked out quite how the wished, Tennessee signed DeAndre Hopkins. While Hopkins certainly gave them a season worthy of a WR1, it became clear that that was not quite enough, that the team still had to get better around Hopkins. Enter Calvin Ridley.

The list of free agent wide receivers this year is expansive, but it is anything but lucrative. Some of the top options like Gabriel Davis and Darnell Mooney had already signed and other top options like Mike Williams, Michael Thomas, and Odell Beckham Jr. came with their own caveats. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Titans brass was focused on a singular goal: landing the best wide receiver available.

With the options out there, they set their sights on Ridley and their focus narrowed. The team reportedly put themselves in position to land Ridley starting last night, keeping in constant contact with Ridley and company. Not wanting to allow for anyone else to obtain their treasure, they made their move, offering what they knew would be the best deal that any team might offer the 29-year-old receiver. The rest is history, they landed their man, and he will be donning Titans blue in 2024.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of Nashville:

  • With the Titans looking to add a defensive back to the roster, following the loss of Kevin Byard after his trade midseason, the name C.J. Gardner-Johnson has come up, per Adam Caplan at Pro Football Network. The veteran safety has some familiarity with the staff playing one of the best seasons of his career under new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson when the two were both in Philadelphia. Gardner-Johnson missed nearly all of the 2023 campaign with a torn pectoral muscle, starting the first two games of the season and making a comeback for the playoffs, so he may even come at a slight discount.
  • While retaining that their plans could change, Caplan also reports that the Titans are currently expected to retain veteran left tackle Andre Dillard, who just finished the first year of his three-year, $29MM contract. Dillard started 10 games last year and was forced to the bench for six others. $6MM of his $9MM base salary for 2024 became fully guaranteed today and he will carry a $10.68MM cap hit for the season. Cutting him now would only save $2.88MM of cap space while leaving $7.79MM of dead money, while designating him a post-June 1 release could clear up $6.47MM of cap space, leaving the team with only $4.2MM of dead money. If he is retained, he would be assumed to start at left tackle, leaving Nicholas Petit-Frere and Jaelyn Duncan to battle for the right tackle job.
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