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It only took 3 weeks for the Titans to bench the underperforming OL
Duluth

It only took 3 weeks for the Titans to bench the underperforming OL

The Tennessee Titans spent a lot of money this offseason revamping the left side of their offensive line. General manager Ran Carthon selected left tackle JC Latham with the No. 7 pick and also spent $50 million on center Lloyd Cushenberry, who is not yet on the roster.

The Titans had several gaps to fill, so they had to bring in some young players. With legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan on the team, the team decided to trust the right side of the offensive line to Dillon Radunz (guard) and Nicholas Petit-Frere (tackle). In three completed games, it was a disaster.

Starting quarterback Will Levis was sacked eight times in Sunday’s embarrassing 30-14 Week 3 loss to Malik Willis and the Green Bay Packers, the most sacks in an NFL game this season. After Petit-Frere caused a strip sack in the second half, he was replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore blocker Jaelyn Duncan.

Petit-Frere’s numbers were absolutely awful. Pro Football Focus credited him with allowing that sack and another hurry, giving him a pass protection score of 48.3.

The problem? Duncan didn’t necessarily fare any better. The former sixth-round pick from Maryland allowed just 19 pass-blocking snaps, allowing two pressure situations. His pass protection rating was even worse than Petit-Frere’s at 36.9.

Head coach Brian Callahan plans to decide during the coming week of training who will start at right tackle in Week 4 of Monday Night Football against the Miami Dolphins.

“We’ll let the boys decide the game,” Callahan said told Local media during Monday’s press conference. “I thought Nick (Petit-Frere) played well enough in the core of the game (on Sunday). But his three bad plays were very bad plays. That’s the problem, the consistency. I’m not going to comment (on the starter) until we’ve had a week of practice and see where everyone is.”

It was a terrible follow-up performance after Petit-Frere played arguably the worst game of his career in Week 2 against the New York Jets. The former Ohio State tackle was credited with nine (!) pressure situations. Days later, he announced an off-field partnership with Fantasy Life. The timing of this announcement was not particularly good.

Petit-Frere has allowed a sack in every game this season. He’s clearly not the long-term solution. Duncan played poorly in relief, suggesting the Titans simply don’t have an internal solution to their problems at the right tackle position. Callahan will pick his poison before Monday’s national showdown with the Dolphins.

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