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Sam Mustipher

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.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/30/24

October 30th, 2024 at 7:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/24

October 21st, 2024 at 7:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Green Bay Packers

  • Activated off IR: DL Jonathan Ford
  • Released: LS Matt Orzech

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, today’s moves were purely procedural. After returning to practice earlier this month, Jonathan Ford was nearing the end of his activation window. To avoid the defensive lineman landing on season-ending injured reserve, the Packers activated the former seventh-round pick to the active roster. That meant the Packers needed to carve out a spot, and long snapper Matt Orzech was the temporary casualty. However, Silverstein says Orzech will land back on the roster later this week following more roster machinations.

Meanwhile, the Giants added Armon Watts to the active roster following the lineman’s stint on the team’s practice squad. It sounds like rival teams may have forced the Giants hand. As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan notes, other teams expressed interest in the former Bears starter, forcing the Giants to secure Watts services now (vs. continuing to stash him on the taxi squad).

Elsewhere in New York, Haason Reddick was officially activated from the Did Not Report list today. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the Jets now have a two-game roster exemption to officially add the pass-rusher to the 53-man roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/24

September 28th, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Ely Allen

Minor transactions and practice squad callups for the Week 4 weekend:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

  • Elevated: G Kyle Hergel

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/29/24

August 29th, 2024 at 8:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

PFR’s practice squad rundown, signaling we are indeed close to games that count, begins Thursday. Here is how teams began to handle their 16-man P-squads.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Slovis went to camp with the Colts, joining the team as a UDFA this year. Houston placed Case Keenum on IR and released Tim Boyle, who is now the Dolphins’ P-squad QB. Slovis, who played at USC, Pittsburgh and BYU in college, is now the Texans’ de facto third-stringer.

Shelley has 11 career starts — with the Bears and Vikings — on his resume. He joined the Raiders last year but ended up with the Rams, playing in 11 games as a backup. The Giants have spent time searching for a cornerback answer, having not been too satisfied with their Cor’Dale Flott–Nick McCloud CB2 competition. New York did not make any waiver claims at the position Wednesday.

Reagor, who played for the Patriots last season, is back after being released earlier this week. The former Minnesota first-rounder played in 11 New England games last season, returning a kick for a touchdown. Latu joins the Browns after being a 49ers cut. The 2023 third-round pick missed all of last season with an ACL tear. Jefferson is back with the Bolts hours after being released.

Broncos Release Tim Patrick, Samaje Perine To Trim Roster To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 4:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Teams have moved their rosters to 53 players. Here is how the Broncos pared theirs down to the regular-season limit:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

  • OLB Durell Nchami

Placed on reserve/PUP:

IR/designated for return:

Patrick and Perine trades did not come to fruition. Both veterans are heading to free agency. Patrick had been with the Broncos since joining their practice squad in 2017; only Garett Bolles has been on the team longer. But Denver has added several wide receivers under Sean Payton‘s watch. Patrick, a John Elway-era pickup who signed an extension under GM George Paton, became expendable for the younger talent. The 30-year-old wideout has recovered from the ACL and Achilles tears that prevented him from playing a down with Russell Wilson. Humphrey may well be a practice squad option, given his New Orleans past with Payton.

Perine, 28, has been connected to a Bengals return. The veteran backup/pass-down option can now sign anywhere he chooses. Perine set a career high in receiving yardage (455) during his one-and-done Broncos run; Denver’s dead money charge ($1.5MM) will likely be offset if/once Perine lands elsewhere.

Sanders sustained an Achilles tear this offseason. The 2023 third-round pick figures to be in the team’s plans for later this season, but he will miss time — at least four games, per the PUP designation — on his rehab trek. Mathis must also miss four games, having suffered a high ankle sprain. The third-year cornerback is slated to return at some point, and the Broncos are using an IR-return designation, dropping their number from eight to seven to start the season.

Burton was viewed as a safe bet to make the team, and while roster gymnastics — which are less useful now that this IR-return tweak is in the mix — could bring him back, he received word of a release. Burton is a nine-year vet who spent last season with the Broncos. Mustipher signed this offseason but was not viewed as a true contender for the center spot, which appears set to go to 2022 fifth-round pick Luke Wattenberg.

Many of these players figure to be brought back to Denver’s practice squad, which can be set beginning Wednesday. Sixteen players will fill out that unit.

Latest On Broncos’ Center Competition

May 26th, 2024 at 10:33am CST by Rory Parks

The cap-strapped Broncos saw one of last year’s top offensive performers, center Lloyd Cushenberry, sign with the Titans in free agency, leaving Denver with a major question mark at the pivot as it ushers in yet another new era at quarterback. 2022 fifth-rounder Luke Wattenberg will certainly have a chance to become the club’s starting center, but as Ryan McFadden of the Denver Post writes, the Broncos are also high on 2023 seventh-round selection Alex Forsyth.

McFadden says that the team views Forsyth as a potential starting-caliber center, which jibes with the comments that GM George Paton made on the matter earlier this year. Forsyth’s candidacy is buttressed by the fact that he served as the snapper for quarterback Bo Nix, the No. 12 overall selection in this year’s draft, when the two were at Oregon in 2022.

Wattenberg, meanwhile, started 16 games at center while in college, but he has played sparingly in his two years in the professional ranks, with most of his reps coming at the guard positions. And though his 129 total snaps certainly qualify as a small sample size, he has not played particularly well in that limited action.

The Broncos did sign Sam Mustipher to a one-year contract in April, and he has the experience that Forsyth and Wattenberg lack, having played 52 games (42 starts) in the NFL. He served as the Bears’ full-time pivot from 2021-22, but the fact that he was non-tendered by Chicago last year and had to settle for a one-year pact with the Ravens — and the fact that he did not even crack Baltimore’s initial 53-man roster — underscores his middling performance in the Windy City. The soon-to-be 28-year-old blocker did start two games for the Ravens last season in relief of the injured Tyler Linderbaum, and he performed reasonably well as a stopgap.

As McFadden notes in a separate piece, Wattenberg was working with the first-team offense in OTAs earlier this week, while Forsyth worked with the second unit. Still, the center competition in Denver appears to be wide open, despite the fact that Forsyth did not see any action at all in his rookie campaign. Sooner rather than later, Nix will take the reins at quarterback, and there is a good chance he will have a familiar face snapping him the ball.

Broncos Sign C Sam Mustipher

April 4th, 2024 at 5:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Losing Lloyd Cushenberry, the Broncos will have a new center starter in 2023. Cushenberry had held that role for nearly his entire rookie contract, only ceding the role due to a 2022 injury. Younger blockers will be in the mix for the job, but the Broncos now have a veteran set to enter the competition.

Denver added Sam Mustipher on Thursday, per a team announcement. The former Bears regular has made 42 career starts. He operated as Chicago’s full-time center from 2021-22, before spending last season in Baltimore.

A former UDFA out of Notre Dame, Mustipher will join holdovers Luke Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth. Broncos GM George Paton praised the two younger snappers, Forsyth in particular, but Mustipher laps both in terms of experience. Wattenberg, a 2022 fifth-round pick, played in 16 games last season but has one career start through two years. Forsyth did not see any action as a rookie, effectively redshirting. The Broncos have enjoyed success with this center path in the not-so-distant path, plugging in Matt Paradis after he did not play as a rookie. But Mustipher provides some insurance.

Mustipher, 27, signed with the Ravens in May of last year and did not make the their 53-man roster last year but ended up playing in nine games (two starts). He played 199 snaps at center and three at guard in 2023. With the Bears, Mustipher surpassed the 1,000-snap mark at center in both his starter seasons, missing only one game from 2021-22. After grading Mustipher as one of the league’s worst centers in 2021, Pro Football Focus ranked him 18th — ahead of Cushenberry — in 2022.

The Titans gave Cushenberry a big-ticket deal — four years, $50MM, $26MM guaranteed at signing — but the former third-round pick was not viewed especially highly until his contract year. The Broncos already have three O-linemen — Garett Bolles, Ben Powers, Mike McGlinchey — signed to veteran contracts. Right guard Quinn Meinerz also looms as a presumptive extension candidate. It certainly looks like they will use a low-cost center plan in 2024.

Ravens Place DB Ar’Darius Washington On IR

September 19th, 2023 at 6:01pm CST by Ben Levine

The Ravens will be without one of their top defensive backs for the next few weeks. According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, the Ravens have placed Ar’Darius Washington on injured reserve.

Washington will be sidelined for at least the next four weeks while recovering from a chest injury. It’s uncertain when exactly the defensive back suffered his injury during Sunday’s win over the Bengals.

With the Ravens dealing with a long list of injuries on their secondary, Washington has seen a significant role over the first two weeks of the season, including a Week 2 appearance where he appeared in 95 percent of Baltimore’s defensive snaps. Listed as a safety on the official roster, Washington has been called on to serve as the slot cornerback during the early parts of the 2023 campaign.

The former UDFA saw time in six games through his first two seasons in the NFL. Washington was an undrafted free agent out of TCU in 2021.

This is yet another hit to Baltimore’s secondary. Marlon Humphrey continues to recover from his foot surgery, while Marcus Williams is sidelined with a pectoral injury. The Ravens have also been without Damarion Williams (ankle) and Trayvon Mullen (toe), meaning the Ravens have had to dig deep into their depth chart.

Arthur Maulet could be a candidate to take on a larger role in at least Week 3. After signing a two-year extension with the Steelers last offseason, Maulet was cut by Pittsburgh this offseason, leading to him landing in Baltimore. The veteran has seen time in 68 career games in stints with the Saints, Colts, Jets, and Steelers.

Per Hensley, the Ravens used their open roster spot to sign center Sam Mustipher from the practice squad. The offseason pickup was already elevated for both of Baltimore’s first two games, with the lineman earning one start.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/16/23

September 16th, 2023 at 8:14pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s callups and adjustments heading into Week 2:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

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