Is Rookie Safety Jalen Pitre Texans Next Breakout Star?

Heading into to the offseason with an impending head coaching hire and the potential second-overall pick, the Houston Texans are set to improve both their roster and staff ahead of the 2023 season, but an already-impressive rookie safety could be the team's biggest improvement for next season.

With the 37th pick in last year’s NFL draft, the Houston Texans selected the Big 12’s defensive player of the year — rookie safety Jalen Pitre.

Right away, Pitre proved why he was a true NFL-caliber safety. The 23-year-old recorded 147 tackles to lead all rookies in the category, as well as five interceptions, which was second only to Seattle’s Tariq Woolen, who had six.

Perhaps the less desirable statistic for Pitre, however, also fell in the tackling category. Though he led rookies in tackles made, he also led the NFL in tackles missed, with 36.

But as Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson said:

Pitre missed the same number of tackles in his entire college career as he did in his rookie season, so there is good reason to expect that to clear up going forward.

Monson listed Pitre as the likely breakout candidate for the Texans during the 2023 season, and ESPN had him under the “just missed” category for the top rookies of the year, so it is safe to say that Pitre has already garnered positive attention.

In 2022, Houston earned a spot in the top 10 for takeaways per game, making its defense one of the league’s hardest to play against. That was proven during its Dec. 18 matchup against Kansas City, as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes led his team to a six-point victory, but not before the game went to overtime and the Chiefs lost the turnover battle due to two forced fumbles by the Texans.

After Houston allowed the second-most yards per play in 2021, the rookie cornerback-safety duo of Pitre and third-overall pick Derek Stingley Jr. greatly improved the Texans’ secondary and defense overall, but even so, the challenge remains.

In order for Pitre to continue trending in a positive direction for the Texans, he will have to buckle down to avoid fundamental mistakes.

Only time will tell the greater impact he will have over the course of his career with the Texans, but it can rest assured that the coaching staff will be entering the offseason with a goal of utilizing Pitre the best way they can ahead of his sophomore season in order to continue finding success on the defensive end. 

And when Houston hits the field for its opening game in 2023 — with Pitre in the secondary — all eyes will be on him. 

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