Last week, Jalen Pitre announced his desire to continue playing for the Houston Texans. The Texans' management received the message and made it happen.
On April 11, ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime first reported that Houston and their rising star nickel cornerback have agreed on a three-year contract extension worth $39 million with $30 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid nickel defender in the NFL.
So, what does this mean for the Texans? This means Houston has decisively addressed many of the team’s defensive questions this offseason, positioning themselves to boast one of the top defenses in the NFL for the upcoming season.
Pitre, 25, is entering his fourth year and joins Derek Stingley Jr.,23, and Danielle Hunter as Texans defenders who have recently signed contract extensions. The team has also added championship safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and signed linebackers E.J. Speed and Nick Niemann. Additionally, they have cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safety Calen Bullock from last year's draft, along with 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr.
The Texans' defense will be stacked next season, which allows them to focus more on improving on the offensive side of the ball in the upcoming NFL draft.
According to ESPN, C.J. Stroud was sacked 52 times, ranking second in the NFL, and pressured on 38.6% of his dropbacks, also ranking second in the NFL. This means that protecting their franchise quarterback should be the top priority for the Texans in the draft, and most experts agree. After trading away Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, many mock drafts now have the Texans selecting an offensive lineman with their 25th pick.
The Texans have more flexibility in the 2025 NFL Draft thanks to Jalen Pitre's extension
CBS Sports has them selecting Josh Simmons. Last season, the 6'5", 317-pound offensive tackle allowed just one QB pressure and no sacks on 152 pass-blocking snaps. This performance ranked as the lowest pressure rate allowed (0.7%) by any tackle with at least 100 pass-block snaps.
Pro Football Focus has the Texans picking the All-America offensive out of Texas Kelvin Banks Jr. Last season, Banks, who is 6'5" and 315- pounds, finished as PFF's No. 1 offensive tackle in the country. He allowed just one sack, two hits and seven pressures.
Another position the Texans can improve on his pass-catching. Yes, they have Pro Bowl receiver Nico Collins, but Tank Dell will be hurt to start the season and although they made some additions to the wide receiver position, you could never have too many weapons for Stroud.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans looked at Matthew Golden at the Texas Pro Day, but I'm not sure if he'll fall to the 25th pick. As an alternative, NFL.com has the Texans selecting another of Stroud's former teammates Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka. When playing with Stroud in 2022, the 6'1" 202-pound playmaker recorded 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns.
I'm not certain what the Texans will decide during the NFL draft, but with Pitre signing a three-year extension, their defense is in good shape. This allows them to concentrate on getting better offensively.