Why the Titans signed RT Chris Hubbard instead of George Fant
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans are signing veteran Chris Hubbard to bolster their offensive line depth sources confirm to AtoZ Sports. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler first reported the news on Thursday. Hubbard will immediately enter the open competition Tennessee has at right tackle. The spot on the Titans offensive line was left vacant after 2022 third-round […]
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans are signing veteran Chris Hubbard to bolster their offensive line depth sources confirm to AtoZ Sports. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler first reported the news on Thursday.
Hubbard will immediately enter the open competition Tennessee has at right tackle.
The spot on the Titans offensive line was left vacant after 2022 third-round pick Nicholas Petit-Frere was suspended for the first six games of the upcoming season. Petit-Frere violated the league's gambling policy by betting on non-NFL games while at a team facility. Veteran lineman Jamarco Jones and undrafted free agent John Ojukwu have been taking snaps at right tackle in the early goings of Tennessee's training camp.
The Titans opted for Hubbard, 32, over tackle George Fant. Both players had worked out for the team this past Saturday.
Confusion arose after Fant was photographed by team photographers and posted with other players as a part of their "Training Camp Arrivals" series. Fant came in for his workout on the same day as Tennessee players reporting early for camp before the rest of the team arrived on Tuesday, July 25. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Fant received an offer from the Titans below what he was seeking and chose to pursue other opportunities.
"We brought George (Fant) in to get a look at him," general manager Ran Carthon said on Tuesday. "That was the extent of it."
Fant's position was simple: the veteran and his representation believed that he was capable of retaining Tennessee's right tackle spot even after Petit-Frere returned. If Fant could hold down a starting position for an entire season, he expected to be compensated as such.
Petit-Frere, who started 16 of a possible 17 regular season games as a rookie, is certainly not considered unimpeachable.
The Titans do believe that the second-year player can continue to contribute and develop upon return from his suspension.
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