Titans Expecting Improvement from Right Tackle Petite-Frere In Sophomore Season

When it comes to the Tennessee Titans offensive line in 2023, second-year left tackle Nicholas Petite-Frere is now among the most tenured players along that line with this organization.

NASHVILLE - Nicholas Petite-Frere didn't have much time to prepare himself for life as the starting left tackle for the Tennessee Titans before his rookie season.

The former third-round pick out of Ohio State stepped into that role and started 16 of 17 games for the franchise before he learned his way around Nashville. While he's not the first player to have begun his career as a starter early in the process, he struggled at times during the season.

Part of those struggles could be attributed to the season-ending injury to Taylor Lewan in week one's 41-7 loss to Buffalo. After that, the rookie was sometimes forced to fend for himself without much additional blocking help because of the poor play on his opposite side. 

Still, his first season as a starter left plenty of room for improvement, as Petite-Frere now finds himself as one of the most tenured members of this unit.    

Entering his second year of organized team activities, the 6-foot-5, 316-pound tackle now better understands"I think what he is doing and how to play his position, and his confidence has grown tremendously. 

"I think every time I come out here, he's bigger, he's stronger, and he's playing with more confidence," said offensive coordinator Tim Kelly before Tuesday's OTA. "And again, I think that's fair to say about most of these second-year players, now that they know what it means to be a pro, and what are expectations, and what are standards are here. "

'Nick's had a good however weeks he's been here," continued Kelly. "And we're looking to see that growth continue."

 As for the player himself, Petite-Frere shared his thoughts on the new offensive system following Tuesday's practice.

"You know, I worked a lot with Hoss (Titans offensive line coach Jason Houghtaling) and got a connection with my teammates because, you know, we have a big group and a new unit," said Petite-Frere. "So those are the things we've tried to emphasize here for this year because we have a whole new group and a whole new system."    

"As a whole, from the ground up. We're working a foundation here," he continued. "Because it's a new system, and we're working pass sets, run blocking, key's techniques, and we're building it from the ground up, but it's good."

"We're taking a lot of stuff from last year and improving it and making it better," Petite Frere said. 

While there is still much to learn, Petite-Frere seemed much more confident and comfortable as the media crowd surrounded him on Tuesday. Here's to hoping that newfound confidence continues to grow as the Titans prepare for this season and their second-year right tackle enters another season as an experienced player. 

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