Jalen Pitre has continued to impress.
The rookie defensive back started Thursday evening's preseason win over the 49ers and finished with five tackles.
One of those five tackles was for a loss and it came on a fourth down in the second quarter.
With San Francisco on the seventh play of their drive, on 4th-and-2 at the Texans' 35-yard line, Pitre got into the backfield and brought Running Back Trey Sermon down for a loss of three. Houston's offense took over and Pitre helped energize the defense, but the second-rounder out of Baylor, who was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year last fall, was just doing what he always plans to do.
"I'm big on running to the ball and being violent when you get there," Pitre said. "I hope to always be around the ball on any play out there."
Head Coach Lovie Smith explained how Pitre's consistently been able to make "a whole lot of big splash plays" since arriving in early May.
"He's a smart player," Smith said. "He's been like a sponge as far as learning, but he's going to be around the ball and that's what we've seen since OTAs. So I'm excited about going forward with him."
Smith's not the only one excited about what the future holds for Pitre and the defense. Veteran Defensive Lineman Jerry Hughes, who saw his first game action as a Texan vs. San Francisco, is highly impressed by the rookie.
"He's a guy who's in here early, so he understands what it takes to be a pro," Hughes said. "He's doing all the necessary steps, and that's why he's flying around all over the field."
Pitre and the Texans open the regular season on September 11 at NRG Stadium against the Colts. Browse tickets.
