Over the past three months as the Site Expert here at Toro Times, I've written plenty about Jalen Pitre. He was the subject of my first 'Defensive Spotlight' of the season. I covered how Pitre, along with Will Anderson Jr., were named to PFF's midseason All-NFL team. And he's been the recipient of glowing quotes from teammates, such as this one from Kamari Lassiter earlier this week:
"Five is the best in the world," Lassiter said of Jalen Pitre, per Keith Cummings of Sports Illustrated. "Every time I watch the film I tell him, 'You are one of one.' I've never seen a player like him. He is elite."
The praise keeps pouring in for the 26-year-old safety who returned to the field two weeks ago after being sidelined for multiple games because of a concussion. Earlier this week, when discussing his team's preparation for their game this Sunday with the Arizona Cardinals, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans called Pitre, "the X-factor for our defense," noting that in addition to being a ball hawk in the secondary, Pitre's ability to play closer to the line of scrimmage is key for Houston's D.
"When it comes to stopping a run, most of the time you worry about a nickel or a defensive back being in a run fits," Ryans said, per Cole Thompson of Texans Wire. "But we try to find ways to get Jalen in the run fits because he's a physical player, because he's smart. He understands run fits."
This explains why Pitre has been designated the 'buzzsaw' of the Texans defense... a chess piece of sorts that DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke can move around at their disposal to disrupt opposing offenses. But not just any player can occupy a role such as this one. You need to be able to do everything well to have this sort of positional/schematic versatility, and Pitre fits the bill.
"Throw him in passing coverage situations, he's able to cover receivers, tight ends. He's just an all-around player," Ryans added. "You can't coach him on some of the instincts and things that he's able to do and some of the plays that he's able to make.”
CJ Stroud calls Jalen Pitre 'a savage'
If DeMeco Ryans' praise of Jalen Pitre wasn't enough, Texans quarterback CJ Stroud leveled up the discourse, dropping bars on the methods and mindset of one of the best safeties in the National Football League.
"Just the tenacity he plays with, the effort, the knowledge that he has, the instincts that he plays with, it's second to none," Stroud said of Pitre, according to Jared Koch of Sports Illustrated. "I think everything goes back to him just being a savage and wanting to run fast, hit hard and tackle. And I think he does a great job of it. I'm always excited to see my brother play well, and he was one of the first people I met in this facility, so I'm just really happy for him."
For his efforts, Pitre was compensated handsomely back in April with a three-year, $39 million contract extension that earned him the nickname 'Big Money Pitre' in the Texans locker room.
""He's 'Big Money Pitre,'" Stroud added. "So, you know, he's getting his money worth this week, and I think he'll continue to do it."