Texans Training Camp Notebook: Jalen Pitre Tells Dolphins To 'Go Home!'

During the first of two joint practices, Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre sends a strong message to the Miami Dolphins.

HOUSTON — Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had the Miami Dolphins deep in the Houston Texans' territory. The Dolphins were in an offensive rhythm after Tagovailoa completed back-to-back passes to tight ends Tyler Kroft and Durham Smythe.

But on his third and final snap, Jalen Pitre picked off Tagovailoa's pass attempt to wide receiver Robbie Chosen. Pitre's interception led to the Texans' second pick-six during Day 1 of joint practices. And after scoring the defensive touchdown at the Houston Methodist Training Center, Pitre screamed, "Get the F*** out of here! Go home!"

"The way Jalen Pitre practices every single day, it doesn’t surprise me when he makes a big play," coach DeMeco Ryans said. "He’s the same guy he always is, so it’s very exciting for the entire team when all eyes are on us, and to see him step up and make a play like that – it’s exciting and uplifting for our entire team."

The Texans held Day 15 of training camp Wednesday morning. And similar to the first three weeks, the Texans illustrated their SWARM defensive mentality.

Outside of giving up a handful of touchdowns during red zone drills, the defense had a good day. The front four created pressure on Miami's offensive line, while the secondary did a solid job preventing the Dolphins from attacking downfield. 

Will Anderson Jr. contributed to the production of the defensive line by using his speed to win battles against Miami's offensive tackle Austin Jackson.

During the first day of training camp, Ryans described takeaways as an important attribute of his defensive scheme. Following Day 15 of camp, Houston's defense is up to 14 takeaways.

Pitre made the best defensive play of camp. But linebacker Christian Harris recorded the first pick-six against Tagovailoa. 

"Overall today, I felt like it was an effective practice on both sides," coach DeMeco Ryans said. "I think we all got really good work. Offensively, defensively, guys made plays [and there are] things to learn from, so we got what we needed out of today’s practice, and [I’m] looking forward to tomorrow just getting even more work.

C.J. Stroud creates more separation in QB battle: Day 15 of training camp ended with C.J. Stroud inching closer to quarterback No. 1. He finished with 11 completions and four touchdowns against Vic Fangio's defense. And during red zone drills, Stroud connected with Tank Dell for three touchdowns.

Stroud did a great job getting the ball out quicker to his intended targets during 11-on-11. By utilizing his three-step drops, Stroud connected with his tight ends to help move the chains.

Stroud had one of his most impressive days despite a subpar performance from a depleted offensive line, which gave up several pressures and a handful of sacks. 

"With C.J., with all our quarterbacks, what I wanted to see today was just [have] those guys operate [while] seeing a different defense, seeing a different scheme, seeing different pressures coming in," Ryans said. "I’m seeing the guys operate cleanly, smoothly, and our guys made some plays. It was cool to see.”

QUICK HITS

• Texans Linebacker Blake Cashman had a day off from practice. The Dolphins were without wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (injury) and cornerback Cam Smith (contract dispute).

• Quarterback Davis Mills had one of his worst practices of training camp. During 11-on-11 play, Mills overthrew several targets. He also threw an interception to linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. The worst part about Mills' interception, there was not a receiver in sight.

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