The Value of Things: Key Player of the Texans: Jalen Pitre

All analysis needs to be balanced. People don’t trust someone who is relentlessly positive, but they don’t trust someone who is relentlessly negative either. I’m always hypersensitive to negativity. I usually tend to be more of a critic than a cheerleader. I’m a scaredy-cat by nature. I worry to death about every situation.

All of this belies a simple fact about team sports. Even in the worst seasons, there are positive surprises. 2023 was full of such surprises, and those surprises helped the Houston Texans make the playoffs. But there were also negative surprises. There were players who were expected to play important roles or improve under the new regime. They didn’t, and their lack of improvement was conspicuous in a season where everyone else seemed to be getting better.

However, no one is doomed to failure. Sometimes people just have a bad season. Sometimes coaching staffs can’t put everyone in the position where they would be most successful. Sometimes necessities arise that force offense and defense to put players in the wrong position.

Enter Jalen Pitre. At the start of his professional career, he was considered someone who played better in the box than in coverage. Due to the talents of other players on the roster (notably Desmond King and Tavierre Thomas), they decided to use him in a more traditional safety role. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out well. Pitre had five interceptions in his rookie season and zero interceptions.

He was even benched towards the end of the season because of his coverage issues. Although not everyone trusts PFF, their numbers speak for themselves. We can break down a safety’s performance based on his points against the run, in pass coverage, and when blitzing the quarterback. Jalen Pitre’s speak for themselves.

Pitre against the run: 62.4
Pitre as pass rusher: 64.5
Pitre in pass coverage: 61.6

The good news is that he seemed to be equally good in all three tests, but those results were those of a player who is a rotation player and not a solid starter. What was troubling was that he was no better than he was in his rookie season. Many expected him to make the Pro Bowl. That didn’t happen.

PFF overall rating 2022: 57.1
2023 Overall PFF grade: 61.8

So, so. Often times, our perception of things differs from reality. Pitre was a better all-around safety in 2023 than he was in 2022, despite the eye-catching interception numbers. So while he didn’t improve as much as people had hoped, he did improve.

Even if he improves as much in 2024 as he did in 2023, his grade will be close to that of a typical starting safety. The question is whether he has what it takes to improve again and become a legitimate starting safety. There are several reasons for optimism.

Year Two (Three)

While Pitre is in his third season in the league, this is his second in this defense. We often focus on the quarterbacks when they get new offensive coordinators or offensive line coaches, but we rarely focus on the defensive players. We probably just assumed Pitre would adjust or even get better because we assumed DeMeco Ryans’ defense would be better than Lovie Smith’s.

It was definitely better, but it’s also true that no offense or defense is better across the board for any individual player. They were probably asking him to do things he hadn’t done the previous season, so even though he wasn’t a rookie, it probably felt like one at times.

Now he gets a full offseason in the same defense. He’ll be used to the terminology. He’ll be used to the philosophy. Even if they use him the exact same way, he’s more likely to have success more often. Hopefully he’ll get to the point where he can play with his instincts and not have to think his way through it.

Other healthy options

Jimmie Ward was unhealthy for most of the season. He was used as a deep safety. Without a healthy Ward, Pitre had to take on that role or assist more than they probably would have liked. Will Ward be healthier in 2024? That’s an excellent question. However, the team drafted Calen Bullock and re-signed Eric Murray and Lonnie Johnson in hopes that at least one of them can provide more depth at the position.

Although the PFF numbers don’t indicate it, the general consensus suggests that if Pitre can play more in the box, he’ll get a better feel for what he needs to do to be successful. If he consistently assists against the run and on underlying passing routes, he can perform better because he’s playing in a more specialized role. If he’s asked to do less, he can do better.

What’s the score?

I feel like the Pro Bowl is a little out of reach at this point, but anything can happen. Being better than 50 percent of the starting safeties in the NFL is very achievable. A large portion of the teams that perform above average are built on above average players. It’s not enough to just sign better players. You have to make existing players play better. Jalen Pitre is a very good candidate to be one of those players.