How Texans Jimmie Ward is Helping S Jalen Pitre's 'Growth'

Looking to turn the defense around in 2023, Jimmie Ward has been a strong mentor for second-year safety Jalen Pitre.

If you believe in the adage that offense wins games but defense wins you championships, then you will like the direction that the Houston Texans have taken this offseason.

Knowing they needed a dramatic change on defense in 2023, the Texans started their offseason strong with the hire of former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to be their next coach. 

They didn't stop there, either, as Ryans went out and hired Matt Burke as his defensive coordinator to bring another strong defensive mind to his staff. From there they added talented players to bolster their defense - including safety Jimmie Ward. 

Ward, who followed Ryans from San Francisco to Houston, offers a veteran voice to a young defense. His presence has been especially helpful to second-year safety Jalen Pitre, which Burke highlighted on Wednesday.

“He’s been great in that room with, again, with a guy like Jalen, obviously working with him,” Matt Burke said. “You know, like I said, working with Jalen and kind of helping that growth along, the whole back end, it’s great.”

"Jimmie has been great, and he looks like he’s about 25 right now out there, so that’s been cool, too.”

The talent is undeniably there for Pitre, who showed flashes of what he can he do for the Texans on defense in 2022. His rookie season saw him record a staggering 147 tackles, including five tackles for loss and a sack. He also displayed his ballhawking ability, snagging five interceptions. 

Now, though, he has a chance to take a major leap heading into his second season with a defensive minded coach. Adding Ward to the secondary will go a long way in him doing so, giving Houston a strong safety pair to lock things down on defense.

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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