Texans Lovie Smith Reassures Rookie Safety Jalen Pitre 'Is Our Starter'

Despite a subpar performance against the Giants on Sunday, coach Lovie Smith reassures Jalen Pitre as Houston Texans starting safety amid NFL learning curve.

HOUSTON — Rookie safety Jalen Pitre is in the midst of a daunting learning curve in the NFL. His most challenging moment occurred during the 12:33 mark of the third quarter amid the Houston Texans' 24-16 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. 

Quarterback Daniel Jones connected with wide receiver Darius Slayton for what would have been a four-yard gain. Pitre missed his opportunity for a stop. His missed tackle resulted in Slayton's 54-yard touchdown.

Coach Lovie Smith pulled Pitre for Houston's next defensive drive. But Pitre's mistake is not enough for Smith to consider shaking up the Texans' defensive backfield.

"Jalen is our starter — our rookie starter," Smith said. "We do not expect him to be Ronnie Lott right away. He is making progress like all of our guys." 

Smith acknowledged that Pitre must play better ahead of their Week 11 match against the 5-5 Washington Commanders. But Smith's critique of Pitre is no different from the other defensive players who suited up for the Texans at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. 

"Jalen, like all of us, needs to play better football," Smith said. "We cannot continue missing tackles. We have to be able to tackle at all positions."

Despite Pitre's struggles against the Giants, the rookie defensive back from Baylor has had a solid start to his NFL career. 

During the first nine games of the 2022 campaign, Pitre has recorded 63 tackles, a pair of interceptions and 1.0 sacks. In 278 coverage snaps, Pitre had given up 178 yards before his play against the Giants.

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