After authoring an impressive rookie campaign, Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre took a step back in Year 2. Entering his second season under DeMeco Ryans, the safety is ready to get back on track.
Pitre admittedly experienced a roller coaster of a 2023 season, making just 84 tackles (63 fewer than his rookie campaign) with no interceptions and getting burned several times in coverage.
"That's a part of life," Pitre said last week, via the Houston Chronicle. "Everything is not always going to be sunshine. I felt like I did a lot of great things in my first year, made some plays, but last year, it was more up and down."
Pitre allowed three touchdowns and a 127.9 passer rating as the nearest defender in coverage in 2023, per Next Gen Stats.
The safety, who turns 25 on Monday, said that heading into Year 3, he's focusing on "calmness" to help him achieve a 2024 turnaround.
"I think that's the next step for me," he said. "Just being calm and understanding what the coaches want from me."
Pitre was a natural fit in Lovie Smith's system in 2022, but the transition to Ryans' scheme proved more difficult, leading to inconsistency. Missing two games early in the season following a collapsed lung in Week 1 didn't help the young playmaker's cause.
With coaching staff stability heading into his third campaign, Pitre believes the continuity will help him return to playing explosive football.
"The most important thing is just making sure I show up for the people who believe in me," Pitre said. "I think that starts with my teammates, my coaches, my parents, and making sure I'm delivering for them. So that's really all I'm focused on. Keeping the main thing the main thing and sticking to my process."
The expectations for Houston in 2024 are sky-high after last season's accomplishments. To meet those projections, still-growing players like Pitre need to take a leap forward.
