HOUSTON – Texans nickel Jalen Pitre suffered a partial tear of his pectoral, per league sources, Sunday during the first half against the Tennessee Titans when he was hit by a teammate, friendly fire that ended his day at NRG Stadium.
It was initially diagnosed as a shoulder injury. A magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed the extent of the injury Monday. Whether he’ll have surgery is still being determined, per sources, and a timetable for recovery is unknown.
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Pitre was in the blue medical tent for a lengthy amount of time before going to the locker room for further examination.
He was then ruled out officially for the remainder of the game.
Backup cornerback Ka’dar Hollman tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, per league sources, against the Titans and is out for the remainder of the season. He will be placed on injured reserve.
Pitre was replaced in a three-safety alignment of Jimmie Ward, Calen Bullock and Eric Murray with Ward operating primarily in his place.
Pitre is a hard-hitting nickel, a former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Stafford graduate.
A natural nickel who was a consensus All-American at this hybrid linebacker-safety role at Baylor, Pitre has had a resurgent season with 64 tackles, six for losses, two quarterback hits, one forced fumble and one interception through 11 games for the 7-4 Texans.
“He’s such a special kid, he really is,” defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “I love being around him every day and then talking to him and seeing how he operates. He is all ball. It’s so important to him. He’s so passionate about it. So, that’s just a pleasure. And then to see him grow in the system and just kind of grow in the role that we’ve tried to provide for him and make those plays that he does.
“I’ve said this, he just makes it easy on us, to be honest with you, because we can do so much with him and some of the tricks or the things you would get caught playing nickel, to a certain thing to 12 or in certain roles.”
Hitting hard is just what Pitre does.
He loves to tackle.
“For sure,” he said. “Every time, that’s the mentality of this team and this defense to make plays.”
The way the Texans have deployed Pitre this season has been an ideal fit.
Nickel is a spot he embraces.
“To see him grow in that role and be able to expand what we do with him and how we utilize him, it just starts with his energy and his passion and how much he cares about the game and cares about the team,” Burke said. “And it’s fun to be around every day, for sure.”
The hit-stick tackle earlier this season on Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet initially drew a penalty flag for unnecessary roughness that was quickly picked up as it was clearly not an illegal hit as Pitre 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.
“Our job is to take whoever we have available and put them in the best spots and I’m not sure everyone can do what Pitre does,” Burke said. “So, if Pitre’s shoelace broke for a play, maybe we’d play something differently, but then we’d have to figure out what that person’s strengths are or how do we want to approach this thing. So, I do think he’s got a pretty unique skillset and he’s a unique player for us and that helps us play the way we play.”
Pitre had played 93 percent of the Texans’ defensive snaps heading into Sunday’s home game.
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.
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.
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
