‘I love it,” Texans safety Jalen Pitre embraces cross training at nickel spot

HOUSTON – Jalen Pitre is embracing a change that’s a throwback to his college football days.

The Texans’ safety and Stafford graduate is lining up closer to the line of scrimmage as he cross-trains at nickel, Pitre looks comfortable being back in that spot again. The Texans are building in flexibility in their secondary by having Pitre in a similar role to the hybrid Star role he thrived in at Baylor as the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

The Texans have deployed Pitre at nickel at training camp with both Eric Murray and rookie Calen Bullock taking snaps with the first-team defense next to starting safety Jimmie Ward. Because of Pitre’s aggressive style, playing closer to the football could pay dividends. There are also scenarios where Pitre will primarily play safety and veteran Desmond King will be the primary nickel in coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense.

Pitre is clearly open to the possibility of playing nickel.

“Yeah, I love it,” Pitre said. “It’s been fun to play some nickel. I’m all in it on the process. Whatever coach DeMeco and his staff want me to do, I’m ready to try to go out there and execute and make plays for this team. Every nickel is similar. I played nickel in college, so I kind of understand the position.

“Through the years, with the Texans, I’ve been studying how DeMeco wants our nickel to play, so it’s just understanding the position and the techniques that he wants us to work. Just hone in on that every day. Just try to stack them and get better.”

What qualities did Ryans identify in Pitre as a potentially strong fit at the nickel position?

“It’s not what I have seen on film with Jalen,” Ryans said. “It’s just who Jalen is as a person and as a player. Jalen is very versatile. You talk about a guy who is disruptive when he’s blitzing. Disruptive in the pass game, in the running game, so Jalen is moving all around from different places and that’s something that I think will help us defensively.”

Embracing the whirlwind nature of the NFL, quickly understanding coverage schemes and reading quarterbacks’ eyes to anticipate throws, Jalen Pitre emerged as one of the most instinctive and productive rookie safeties in NFL history two years ago.

Pitre is entering an important year. The 2021 second-round pick is hoping to have a bounce-back year after an up-and-down second season.

It was a watershed moment for Pitre playing for his hometown team as the Stafford graduate excelled at picking off passes and providing an aggressive presence in run support. As a ball-hawking safety, the second-round draft pick from Baylor and former Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year was incredibly impressive in almost every facet of the game as he led the Texans with 147 tackles and five interceptions.

Pitre recorded the most tackles among all NFL rookies and became the first player to record more than 125 tackles and intercept five passes since the tackle statistic began being tracked in 2000, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He played 93 percent of the Texans’ total defensive snaps, rarely leaving the field.

A year later, though, Pitre experienced some tough adjustments as he didn’t appear to be reacting as fast and confidently during his first season in Ryans’ defense as he did as a rookie. Despite an encouraging preseason, Pitre was still adjusting throughout the season and appeared to be thinking rather than simply acting on his instincts.

While Pitre had his moments, including improving as a cleaner tackler with 84 tackles to finish third on the defense for the AFC South champions, he didn’t intercept any passes. He also dealt with a painful injury as a bruised and collapsed lung in the opening game against the Baltimore Ravens forced him to miss the next two games. He was benched in a regular-season game against the Cleveland Browns before regaining his starting job for the remainder of the season.

Pitre yielded three touchdown passes on 26 of 38 passing for 68.4 percent accuracy and 456 yards and opposing quarterbacks compiled a cumulative 135.4 passer rating when throwing in his director, according to Pro Football Reference analytics. As a rookie, Pitre allowed just 41 completions on 63 targets for 662 yards, four touchdowns and an opposing quarterback rating of 88.2.

It wasn’t as if Pitre had declined somehow or forgotten how to play football. He just looked unsure of himself and his role in a new defense.

Now, Pitre is feeling more confident and comfortable within the defense. and appears poised for a resurgent third NFL season.

“I feel great, man,” Pitre told KPRC 2. “I’m trusting everything that the coaches are telling me and I’m coming to work each day eager to learn. I feel like I’ve improved in a lot of things and just looking to continue to do that moving forward and try to make this team as better as I can.

“It’s definitely slowing down for me. I’m seeing things a lot better and I’m able to make checks. A lot of things are slowing down and I’m enjoying it, but you learn different things every day. The game evolves. It’s fun. I love the game of football.”

In two NFL seasons, Pitre has been prolific as he has recorded 231 career tackles, 11 for losses, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery with 13 passes defensed.

Pitre is firmly in all of the Texans’ defensive plans.

“Yeah, we are moving all those guys around,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “The more versatile you can be, the better it helps us. From disguises, from different people on the field, to different packages. there is a lot of people we are trying to cross train and it is similar to the other question you had that we are trying to put players into positions to see what is the best place for them to be successful themselves and for this team to make plays.

“There is a lot of guys, Jalen is one of them, we are trying to bounce around and see. We have added depth in a lot of places so how do we utilize that depth, how do we get the best players on the field and in the best positions. He is part of that process, for sure. He has had a great start to camp. He is in a really good spot for us, for sure.”

The Texans have faith in Pitre that he’s on his way to playing the kind of football they expect from him.

The former all-rookie selection hasn’t been dwelling on last season. He has emphasized turning the page and being detail oriented. Under former coach Lovie Smith and a Cover 2 primary defensive scheme, Pitre had significant freedom to roam the field and operate on an individual basis. Ryans teaches a team-first strategy to everything.

“I wouldn’t say no chip on the shoulder,” Pitre said. “The only thing I’m worried about is just executing at a high level. That’s what everybody is trying to do, to make sure they’re doing their assignment first and then making plays on the ball. That’s what coach DeMeco is preaching, so that’s what we’re all pushing towards. I’m just trying to do that as well.”

What’s next for Pitre?

Hopefully, a strong season for a winning football team that has become a trendy Super Bowl contender.

“Time flies by when you’re having fun,” Pitre said. “I’m excited going into Year 3. We have a great team. I have a lot of teammates I’ve built that bond with. I’m excited about this upcoming season. There’s a lot I’ve learned and I want to continue to stack and improve. I’m ready for the challenge. I love the energy on the field. It does nothing but boost my morale.”

Voted a team captain last season in balloting from his teammates, Pitre is taking a measured approach to football and staying in the moment.

“It is definitely controlled aggression,” Pitre said. “You can go off the rails a little bit sometimes, being eager to make plays. I am trying to be calm, cool, and collected out there and be able to do my job and make plays when my number is called.

“Going through a lot of ups and downs last year and understanding my role, I am trying to build on that. I am in a great spot. I understand what the coaches want from me and I am looking forward to year three.”

Signed to an $8.95 million contract that includes a $3.692 million signing bonus, Pitre models his game after New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu, a former All-Pro selection and Texans defensive captain, along with Arizona Cardinals standout safety Budda Baker.

A former consensus All-American, Pitre led Baylor with 18 tackles for losses in his final college season. He finished with 76 tackles total, had three sacks, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, and three fumble recoveries.

“There’s a lot of similarities, more similarities than differences. I would say,” Pitre said of playing nickel again. “I mean, you could go coverage-to-coverage. There’s a lot of similarities, though, for sure.”

Pitre was off to a fast start in the NFL, and now it’s time to ramp things up again.

As well as Pitre has performed in the past, he has maintained a humble, low-key approach. That falls in line with his unassuming, friendly personality. Pitre doesn’t think he has everything figured out yet.

“I would say I want to be a servant to others,” said Pitre, who’s heavily involved in the community with his partnership with Kids Meals Inc. to benefit children in the Houston area who are food insecure. “I try to do everything I can to lead.

“The biggest thing I do is try to be that light on the field be an encouraging teammate and help guys know I have their back in whatever they’re going through on and off the field. That’s what I’m trying to preach and hopefully those guys feel that.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.