Texans Daily

Houston Texans WATCH: Jalen Pitre Keeps Chapstick With Him On The Field

Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre explains his unique need while on the field

Tim Kelly

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At 4-4, the Houston Texans have been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2023 NFL season. And sometimes, it doesn't take much to realize that the vibes have changed entirely in an organization. 

While there's understandably been quite a bit of focus on the impact that rookie coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud have had in turning the tides for one of the most dysfunctional organizations in sports, they have hardly been the only positive additions for the Texans over the last couple offseasons.

Second-year safety Jalen Pitre has also become a glue guy in Houston, so much so that an NFL Films camera recently caught him (watch above) explaining to his teammates why he carries chapstick while on the field. 

Pitre quote-tweeted the viral video of him not only explaining why he always keeps chapstick, but also retrieving it after it fell out of his pocket with a simple message: "Proper preparation prevents poor performance...". 

Jalen Pitre (No. 5) has quickly become a key cog for the Houston Texans.  / USA Today

A second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Baylor, Pitre was one of the few bright spots on a Texans team that won just three games a season ago. He finished fifth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after racking up 147 combined tackles, five tackles for a loss, five interceptions and a fumble recovery. 

Already a team captain in his second season, Pitre has 34 combined tackles, two tackles for a loss, a quarterback hit, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in his second NFL season. Again, it's only natural for there to be focus on what Stroud and rookie receiver Tank Dell are doing on the offensive side of the ball, but Pitre appears to be a potential stalwart for the Texans defensively. 

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Tim Kelly
TIM KELLY

Tim Kelly is a contributor to SI's NFL team sites. Additionally, Kelly covers the Philadelphia Phillies as the Editorial Director for PhilliesNation.com. Previously, Kelly has been a producer at SportsRadio 94 WIP and a content producer for Audacy Sports, with written content syndicated to WIP, WFAN, WEEI and some of the biggest sports radio stations in the country. Kelly also has contributed to Bleacher Report, Just Baseball, Sports Talk Philly and Section 215, FanSided's Philadelphia affiliate. Kelly is a 2018 graduate of Bloomsburg University, with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in political science.