Pitre made four tackles, including one for a loss, and had an interception in Sunday's 23-20 win over Indianapolis in Week 8.
Pitre's contribution to the win was intercepting an Anthony Richardson pass deep in the Colts' territory. One play later, C.J. Stroud threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Tank Dell, giving the Texans a lead it would not relinquish. Pitre moved back to a hybrid role in the secondary this season -- a similar role he played at Baylor -- playing both cornerback and safety and showed modest improvement in his coverage. Missed tackles have been an issue, as they've been throughout his career, but Pitre has shown improvement in all areas of defense.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Eight stops in loss
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Pitre recorded eight total tackles (five solo) and defended one pass during Sunday's 34-7 loss to the Vikings.
Pitre continues to impress through the Texans' first three games, recording 21 total tackles, including one tackle for loss, while also defending two passes on 168 defensive snaps. The third-year pro appears to be adjusting well to his new role as a nickel safety, and he's expected to continue wreaking havoc on opposing offenses as the season progresses.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Scores as nickel
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Pitre recorded two tackles, one for a loss, and scored on an interception return in Saturday's preseason game against the Giants.
Pitre, playing the nickel cornerback, kicked off the scoring when he stepped up to pick off an ill-advised pass from Daniel Jones for a five-yard return for a touchdown. The pick six was set up by defensive end Derek Barnett, who had Jones in his clutches as the ball was thrown. Pitre is returning to a hybrid style he thrived in at Baylor, playing both safety and the nickel. Not playing exclusively at safety will likely result in fewer tackles for Pitre, who had 147 during this rookie 2022 season and 84 last season.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Getting work at nickel corner
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Pitre told reporters after practice Tuesday that he has been playing snaps at nickel corner during training camp and OTAs, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.
Pitre had played nickel corner at Baylor, and he noted that "it's been fun to play some nickel here in training camp, in OTAs, and I'm all in on the process," per Jonathan Alexander and Jon Poorman of The Houston Chronicle. In his rookie season in 2022, Pitre led the Texans with 141 total tackles across 17 regular-season games, but he saw those numbers dip in 2023, finishing with 84 tackles (58 solo), five passes defended and one forced fumble over 15 regular-season games. Pitre struggled at times to adjust to a new scheme in 2023, but his willingness to play nickel corner, like he did in college, should provide him comfort in his second year under head coach DeMeco Ryans.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Second-most tackles in win
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Pitre had seven tackles (three solo) in Sunday's 26-3 win over the Titans.
Pitre finished second on the Texans defense in tackles behind Desmond King. Pitre played every single defensive snap for the 10th time this season. The 2022 second-round pick out of Baylor has 77 tackles (54 solo), five passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery over 14 games this season.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Productive in close loss
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Pitre recorded nine tackles (five solo) in Sunday's 24-21 loss versus the Jaguars.
It's the best tackle total Pitre has managed since Week 5 at Atlanta. It's been a relatively disappointing season for him so far after he posted impressive numbers as a rookie in 2022, but the Broncos could prove to be a favorable matchup for him in Week 13.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Big day in loss
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Pitre tallied 11 total tackles (seven solo), one pass deflection and one fumble recovery during the Texans' 21-19 loss to the Falcons this Sunday.
Pitre was productive in his second game back from a chest injury that landed him in the hospital during Houston's Week 1 loss to Baltimore. The 24-year-old was the Texans' second-leading tackler this past Sunday, trailing only Henry To'oTo'o (12 tackles). Pitre seemed to be back at full health as well, playing on 100 percent of the team's defensive snaps. The 2022 second-round pick led Houston in tackles last season and finished fifth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, so expect him to continue wreaking havoc for the Texans' defense.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Won't play at Jaguars
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Pitre (chest) is listed as out for Sunday's game at Jacksonville.
After he missed practice all week, it comes as no surprise to see that Pitre will be sitting out for a second consecutive game with a bruised lung. M.J. Stewart should continue to fill in as his replacement.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Collects fourth INT of season
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Pitre racked up nine tackles (seven solo) and recorded an interception Saturday in a Week 16 win over the Titans.
Pitre led Houston in tackles in the victory, and he ended the contest by picking off Malik Willis' desperation heave into the end zone as time expired. Pitre has put together an outstanding rookie campaign, tallying 126 tackles, one sack and four interceptions. The tackle total leads all NFL safeties.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Extremely productive in loss
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Pitre recorded 16 tackles (nine solo) and one interception in Sunday's 27-14 loss to the Browns.
Pitre finished with nine more stops than the Texans' second-leading tackler Christian Kirksey. The starting safety had seen his playing time take a slight dip over the last six games, though he played every defensive snap for the first time since Week 5. Pitre is now just eight stops shy of reaching 100 tackles in his rookie season, and he should have a good chance to reach this mark if Houston's offense is unable to keep its defense off the field against Dallas in Week 14.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Seven stops Sunday
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Pitre recorded seven solo tackles and one pass defended during Sunday's 30-15 loss to the Dolphins.
Pitre tied linebacker Christian Kirksey for a team lead in tackles despite posting a relatively moderate seven stops against the Dolphins' high-flying offense. The safety also continued to play the bulk of Houston's defensive snaps (88 percent), and he did notch his third pass defended of the season. Pitre has now recorded 38 tackles since falling out of an every-down role Week 7, and he should continue to see consistent playing time against Cleveland next Sunday.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Season-best nine tackles
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Pitre recorded nine tackles in Thursday's 29-17 loss to the Eagles.
Pitre remained heavily involved in the Texans' defense and has been on the field for over 80 percent of snaps in every game this season. Thursday was his best effort yet, as he racked up a season-high nine tackles. In eight contests, Pitre has 57 total stops with one sack, two passes defended and two interceptions.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Nine tackles Week 5
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Pitre logged nine tackles (seven solo) in Week 5's 13-6 win over the Jaguars.
Pitre, the second-round pick out of Baylor, continued to make an impact for Houston's defense Week 5. The rookie played 73 of the team's snaps, along with fellow safety Jonathan Owens.
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Texans' Jalen Pitre: Finishes strong
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Pitre had five tackles including a stop on fourth-and-2 in Thursday's preseason game against San Francisco.
Pitre practiced with the starters in camp and was on the first-team defense during all three preseason games. He finished the preseason with nine tackles (two for a loss) and at times lined up on the line of scrimmage. The second-round pick out of Baylor will be part of Houston's revamped and youthful secondary along with cornerback Derek Stingley, the third-overall pick.
