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49ers add 2 intriguing veteran linemen

Originally posted on NFL on ClutchPoints
By Jaren Kawada | Last updated May 9, 2025 5:03 PM ET

The San Francisco 49ers took a league-high 11 players in the 2025 NFL Draft, but only one offensive lineman. To compensate for the exclusion, the 49ers have added multiple veteran blockers in free agency.

As the latest additions to the group, San Francisco signed Andre Dillard and Nicholas Petit-Frere on Friday, per Adam Schefter. Both players signed one-year deals. The two tackles join the team’s crowded locker room of veterans and young talent who will fight for roster spots in training camp. Dillard and Petit-Frere were briefly teammates for one year with the Tennessee Titans in 2023.

A former first-round pick, Dillard joins the team after a one-year stint with the Green Bay Packers. He appeared in 10 games but has not made a start since the 2023 season, when he started 10 contests for the Titans.

Petit-Frere joins the 49ers with a slightly bigger reputation, starting 10 of his 15 games for the Titans in 2024. In his three years with the team, the former third-rounder has started 28 of his career 34 games. A shoulder injury held him to just three games in 2023.

Andre Dillard, Nicholas Petit-Frere join 49ers’ offensive line room

Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Andre Dillard (71) waits to take the field before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Nissan Stadium. Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The 49ers’ offensive line ranked league-average in 2024, but lost a lot of production in free agency. Key contributors Jaylon Moore, Aaron Banks and Charlie Heck all signed elsewhere. With Trent Williams mulling retirement, San Francisco nearly suffered an even larger loss, but the four-time All-Pro appears to be returning for his 16th season.

Dillard and Petit-Frere will compete with former Pro Bowler D.J. Humphries and undrafted rookies Austin Pleasants, Sebastian Gutierrez and Isaac Alarcon for a spot on the final 52-man roster. Williams and Colton McKivitz figure to return as the starting tackles in 2025.

The blocking unit will still be led by Chris Foerster, who enters his fifth season as the team’s offensive line coach in 2025. With nearly five decades of coaching experience on his resume, Foerster has been a staple of Kyle Shanahan’s staff since the 2021 season.

This article first appeared on NFL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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