Jalen Pitre

Texans CBs Derek Stingley Jr., Tavierre Thomas To Miss Time

September 22nd, 2023 at 9:40am CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 22: After undergoing an MRI, Stingley’s injury is likely to sideline him for six to eight weeks, Wilson notes in an update to yesterday’s report. That news confirms the initial fears that an extended absence will be coming for the 22-year-old, and an IR placement will surely be coming his way soon.

In another injury-related update to the team’s secondary, Wilson adds that starting safety Jalen Pitre will miss Houston’s Week 3 contest. The latter suffered a bruised lung in the Texans’ Week 1 loss, and he has been recovering since then with the expectation he would not miss much game time. Pitre is likely to return to practice next week, per Wilson, which should give him a strong chance of suiting up in Week 4.

SEPTEMBER 21: The Texans played their Week 2 game against the Colts without most of their starting offensive line. One of those blockers — center Juice Scruggs — is poised to be an IR activation near the season’s midpoint. The Texans may soon need to use at least one more IR spot for a starter.

Derek Stingley Jr. suffered a hamstring injury in practice this week, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports, and an MRI points to a several-week absence for last year’s No. 3 overall pick. The LSU product is likely headed to IR, Wilson adds.

In addition to Stingley’s forthcoming absence, the Texans are set to see nickel corner Tavierre Thomas sidelined for a bit. Thomas suffered a broken hand in the Texans’ loss to the Colts and has since undergone surgery, according to Wilson. The Texans have not used an IR spot on Thomas yet, but he is expected to miss multiple games.

Stingley went down during Wednesday’s practice. Offseason addition Shaquill Griffin is expected to replace him in Houston’s lineup. Grayland Arnold will fill in for Thomas, per Wilson. These maladies hit a Texans secondary that has been without Jimmie Ward over the season’s first two games. The ex-DeMeco Ryans 49ers pupil is working his way back from a hip injury. Ward also began last season out of action, opening his final 49ers season on IR due to a hamstring injury. Ward managed a limited practice Wednesday, putting him in position to debut for his new team in Week 3.

For Stingley, this is familiar territory. He missed the Texans’ final seven games last year due to a hamstring injury — one that eventually led him to IR in December. Overall, Stingley missed nine games during his rookie season. Drafted to anchor Houston’s secondary in Lovie Smith‘s defense, Stingley remains a cornerstone piece for the Ryans-led team. Stingley and Jeff Okudah are the only corners to go off a draft board in the top three during the 21st century.

The Texans dropped their previous slot corner — Desmond King — before roster-cutdown day, releasing he and linebacker Christian Kirksey. While the latter made retirement plans Thursday morning, King caught on with the Steelers. King’s exit opened the door for Thomas, who is in his third season with the Texans. Thomas, 27, has made 15 starts with his current team; he played 69% of Houston’s defensive snaps over this season’s first two games.

Thomas re-signed with the Texans on a one-year, $2.25MM deal this offseason. Houston gave Griffin a one-year pact worth $3.5MM shortly after the draft. A former Eagles UDFA, Arnold joins Thomas in being on his third Texans team. He has worked almost exclusively as a special-teamer in Houston. Twenty of his 23 defensive snaps with the team came upon replacing Thomas in Week 2.

Texans Place WR Noah Brown, DT Hassan Ridgeway On IR

September 13th, 2023 at 10:16am CST by Sam Robinson

Noah Brown‘s Texans debut included three receptions, but the career-long Texas-based wideout will be shut down for a while. The Texans placed him on IR on Wednesday.

Hassan Ridgeway joins Brown on Houston’s IR list. The veteran defensive tackle, who followed DeMeco Ryans from San Francisco, suffered a calf injury in Week 1. A groin issue will send Brown to IR, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.

This is familiar territory for Ridgeway, who finished last season on IR. The 49ers had used their eight injury activations, leaving Ridgeway on IR with a pectoral strain. Due to the NFL’s adjusted IR setup, neither Ridgeway nor Brown can return before Week 6.

After spending six seasons with the Cowboys, Brown signed a one-year deal worth $2.25MM to switch Texas teams in March. Houston gave Ridgeway a one-year, $3.25MM accord to join Jimmie Ward as a 49ers defender following Ryans. Both players worked as backups in the Texans’ season-opening loss to the Ravens. Ridgeway played 15 defensive snaps, while Brown saw extensive time on offense, logging 52 snaps. The latter caught three passes for 20 yards in C.J. Stroud‘s debut.

The Texans were without John Metchie to start their season as well. Returning after a leukemia diagnosis kept him off the field as a rookie, Metchie sustained a hamstring injury while preparing to debut. The Texans have Nico Collins, Robert Woods and rookies Tank Dell and Xavier Hutchinson as healthy options at receiver.

In addition to the IR moves, the Texans received a scare in their secondary Sunday. A collision with Lamar Jackson led to second-year safety Jalen Pitre being hospitalized with a bruised lung, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. While the 2022 second-round pick was coughing up blood at one point, he has since been released from the hospital, per Wilson and Pelissero.

Texans Finish Signing 2022 Draft Class

June 2nd, 2022 at 10:34pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans wrapped up their nine-man draft class today when they were able to reach an agreement with third-round pick Christian Harris. The Power Five-heavy class includes a plethora of Day 1 and 2 picks and brings home three Houston-natives in guard Kenyon Green, safety Jalen Pitre, and offensive lineman Austin Deculus.

The Texans started their haul with four selections in the 2022 NFL Draft’s first 44 picks. Their first addition was cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who will immediately improve a group that currently includes Steven Nelson, Lonnie Johnson Jr., and Desmond King II. The Texans’ secondary struggled greatly at times last year, and defensive-coordinator-turned-head-coach Lovie Smith decided that addressing that weakness was a top priority. Their addition of Pitre in the second round further addresses that need. While listed as a safety, Pitre spent the majority of his career with the Bears in the slot. Whether at safety or slot cornerback, Pitre is a strong addition alongside Stingley to a struggling defense.

Green was the next selection, midway through the first round, and his ability to play on the inside of the line should allow Houston to establish Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard at the tackle positions. The later addition of the swing tackle, Deculus, continued the Texans’ efforts at improving the protection in front of second-year quarterback Davis Mills.

In terms of weapons for Mills, after extending leading receiver Brandin Cooks, Houston added another weapon in slot receiver John Metchie III. The Alabama alum tore his ACL in December, but is assumed to be ready to return to the field sometime this summer.

From there, Houston added linebacker Christian Harris, who is a menace in opposing teams’ backfields. They followed that by addressing a league-worst 3.4 yards per rush and 8 rushing touchdowns by bringing in Gator running back Dameon Pierce. Thomas Booker adds some depth to the defensive line. Teagan Quitoriano will compete to back up second-year tight end Brevin Jordan with Pharaoh Brown and Antony Auclair.

Here are the draft picks the Texans will take into camps this summer:

Round 1: No. 3 Derek Stingley Jr., CB (LSU) (signed)
Round 1: No. 15 Kenyon Green, G (Texas A&M) (signed)
Round 2: No. 37 Jalen Pitre, S (Baylor) (signed)
Round 2: No. 44 John Metchie III, WR (Alabama) (signed)
Round 3: No. 75 Christian Harris, LB (Alabama) (signed)
Round 4: No. 107 Dameon Pierce, RB (Florida) (signed)
Round 5: No. 150 Thomas Booker, DT (Stanford) (signed)
Round 5: No. 170 Teagan Quitoriano, TE (Oregon State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 205 Austin Deculus, OL (LSU) (signed)

Texans Sign Round 2 S Jalen Pitre

May 11th, 2022 at 2:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans signed the first of their two second-round picks — safety Jalen Pitre — to his four-year rookie contract Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Pitre’s $8.95MM deal includes three years fully guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano (on Twitter). This marks a step forward under the current slot system, with the No. 34 overall pick being last year’s cutoff line for full guarantees. Pitre went off the board 37th overall.

Houston later traded up for Alabama wideout John Metchie in Round 2 but used its own pick to nab Pitre, who played both linebacker and safety at Baylor. The Bears moved Pitre to safety in 2020, when he became a regular on their defense. Pitre returned both of his interceptions that season for touchdowns. He forced three fumbles during his 2021 senior season, en route to first-team All-America acclaim. Despite the move from linebacker, Pitre weighed just 198 pounds at the Combine.

Longtime Texans safety starter Justin Reid departed early in free agency, signing with the Chiefs as a Tyrann Mathieu replacement. This clears a path for Pitre to be an instant starter in Houston, should the in-state product prove ready.