‘Smart, tough, fast,’ Texans nickel Jalen Pitre thrives at old-new position, delivered crushing hit on Cole Kmet

MINNEAPOLIS – Jalen Pitre uncoiled his body with incredible power, bringing a ton of force into his aiming point as he delivered a crushing, clean tackle with his right shoulder that sent Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet flailing to the ground.

The hit-stick tackle initially drew a penalty flag for unnecessary roughness that was quickly picked up as it was clearly not an illegal hit as the Texans’ nickel-safety and Stafford graduate didn’t make contact with his helmet and stuck the much larger Kmet in his shoulder pads.

Kmet was shaken up on the play and later acknowledged on his podcast it was the hardest hit he’s ever absorbed.

“I did try and sell it for a little bit, because it wasn’t like a head-to-head thing,” Kmet said. “But I mean he got me clean. Got to the ground and I did have to take a second because I was like ‘Man, that was quite the hit there. That was a clean, hard hit the other night, that’s for sure.”

Two games into his third NFL season, Pitre is thriving at his old-new position as he’s being deployed at nickel and is closer to the line of scrimmage where he’s able to be involved in a higher level of contact than previously when he lined up primarily as a pure deep safety.

Pitre was flying around the field in the 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears, playing the game with a physical style. Back at the spot where he was named the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Baylor, Pitre had 10 tackles with one for a loss against Chicago.

Adapting to what the coaching staff wants from him, Pitre is playing lights-out football and has an intimidating presence on the field at just 6-foot, 200 pounds.

“He’s just done a good job of embracing everything we’re asking to do, kind of in that role,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “It’s been good for us to be able to play him down where he’s been playing so far, and it kind of frees us up. We haven’t changed a lot of personal groups. He’s such a versatile player in terms of run game, pass game, zone cover, man coverage. He’s really embraced a lot of things we’re asking to do.

“To have that tool and that weapon to use him, it frees us up to do some things and not get caught in some stuff. So, we’re just trying to keep evolving that position for him. Jalen is a really good football player. He’s smart, he’s tough, he’s fast and he’s everything you want to be about. What we believe in from an emotional standpoint, how he plays in our style and swarm, I can just list it every attribute you want. It starts with him as a person, as a player, but his abilities to sort of play in the run game and the pass game from some of those roles have helped us, sort of free us up to do some different things with him. So hopefully he keeps evolving and growing in that role, but it’s been an amazing start. He had a really good game the other night, too.”

Pitre has played 100 percent of the Texans’ defensive snaps heading into Sunday’s road game against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings.

Lining up closer to the line of scrimmage at the nickel spot that capitalizes on his blitzing skills, Pitre looks comfortable being back in that spot again. The Texans are building in flexibility and playmaking ability 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. Pitre will still operate as a pure safety at times.

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.

This is an important year for Pitre. The 2021 second-round draft pick is aiming for a bounce-back year after an up-and-down second season.

It was a watershed moment for Pitre as a rookie excelled at picking off passes and providing an aggressive presence in run support. As a ball-hawking safety, Pitre 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 coach Ryans’ defense as he did as a rookie. Despite an encouraging preseason, Pitre appeared to be thinking too much 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.

Two games into his third NFL season, Pitre has been prolific as he has recorded 244 career tackles, 12 for losses, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery with 14 passes defense and five interceptions.

The Texans have faith in Pitre.

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. Pitre is doing exactly what the coaches hoped for from him with the position shift.

“Just watching Pitre and watching how relentless he was, every rep, no matter if he was rushing, no matter if he’s in coverage, he was all over the field, sideline to sideline, playing relentless,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It’s just exciting to see our style of play on defense just show through the tape from all three levels of our defense. All the guys were playing a great effort. All the guys were playing physical, just love to see that style.”

There’s a comfort zone at nickel from his time playing for coaches Matt Rhule and Dave Aranda.

“I started off at Baylor as a nickel-slash-Sam linebacker, more of a linebacker role because of the defense that we ran,” Pitre said. “When we went to a more solid defense where it was a true nickel-safety position, that’s when I saw my knowledge of the game and my body type start to excel. That’s when I kind of kick off and started to make those plays. Big shout-out to both of those coaches. They helped me so much to get here. They’re a key reason why I am the man I am today because that was a pivotal time in my life.

“It was probably my third year in college where I noticed I could play in this league. Even when I was in middle school, I always had a great mind for the game. I always felt I understood the game at a great level and I was always intrigued by the different things, how the game was evolving. Physically, I started to mature and then I’ve seen it all start to come together. Although I’m not a finished product now, I’m still learning and getting stronger, faster and continuing to grow. Football is definitely a big part of my life.”

SEE ALSO ‘Means the world to me,’ Texans’ Jalen Pitre on giving back and how his hometown roots ‘made me the man I am today’ (click2houston.com)

Growing up in Houston, Pitre built strong roots in his community and his experiences followed him into his life playing for his hometown NFL team.

As a philanthropist, friend and mentor to children through his work with Kids Meals Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides free, nutritious meals for food-insecure children in the greater Houston area, Pitre uses his platform to help others. And Pitre is determined to give back, to be a helping hand, as others did for him.

Deeply spiritual and determined to inspire others, Pitre knows what it’s like to want something more.

“It’s important because you know I feel like I had those days growing up,” Pitre said. “There were a lot of people in my life that made me into the man I am today. They helped me during times to look good in the game or to have the good cleats or if I needed help with a meal, those types of things. It was a lot of people that helped me out. So, I feel like in the position I’m in right now, it’s my duty to shine light where it needs to be shining and to help out those who need it.”

And, now, Kids Meals Inc.’s Feed 5 More fundraising campaign returns for the second year in a row in partnership with Group 1 automotive, an international Fortune 300 automotive retailer based in Houston to combat childhood hunger.

The Feed 5 More campaign raises money through donations as little as $10 to provide meals to children facing food insecurity. For every $10 raised, Kids’ Meals can provide five meals to children who need them the most. This year, Pitre hopes to surpass last year’s total with the goal of raising enough money to feed 55,555 children by the end of the 2024 football season. Group 1 Automotive will match every dollar raised, up to $250,000. Last year, the campaign successfully raised nearly $110,000.

“Means the world to me, and it shows me that God is truly working in the community and he’s going to continue to use all of us to help each other,” Pitre said. “There’s a lot of people that don’t have as much as we do. So, it’s our duty to give back as much as we can and to lend a helping hand to those kids because, honestly, they’re so vulnerable.

“They don’t have the means to do it, to go get it. Their parents are trying as much as they can, but they’re less fortunate as well. We are going to help. We’re going to get them food and we’re going to empower them to do what they want to do.”

When Pitre isn’t playing football, he’s spending time with his parents and his girlfriend.

And he relaxes with music, including Larry June, Marvin Gaye, BossMan Dlow and other artists.

“I’m a huge music guy,” Pitre said. “It’s a little bit more of a chiller vibe. I’ll go with some Marvin Gaye, keep it old school and then some BossMan Dlow and turn it up a little bit.”

Pitre follows a tradition of watching the Denzel Washington basketball movie, ‘He Got Game,’ in the days leading up to kickoff. He knows the lines of Jesus Shuttleworth and Washington’s character by heart.

“They did a great job with that movie,” Pitre said. “A lot of the scenes it kind of takes me back to when I was a kid and my dad was hard on me. My dad was always pushing me and my brother to get better. It’s a big reason why I am where I am today. It’s just a little bit of a flashback and it kind of grounds me. It gets me ready for the game.”

His family and his girlfriend inspire Pitre to strive for more in all areas.

“My parents are always challenging me, my girlfriend is always challenging me, my brother,” Pitre said. “We’re always thinking of ideas to help each other out and continue to develop ourselves.

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