Texans GM Perfectly Describes Jalen Pitre in Two Words

The Houston Texans' defense has had a handful of strong standouts through the first six weeks of action that have established their unit among one of the best in the NFL, allowing the lowest points to opposing offenses from Weeks 1-5 with an average of 12.2 points per game.

Among those standouts in the secondary, the most eye-catching playmaker in that mix might be Jalen Pitre––the fourth-year defensive back who's among the top of the league in interceptions (3), and a versatile piece of the Texans' defense who can fill in at nickel or safety.

And with a productive start in the books heading into the bye week, Pitre's even landed some significant praise from Texans general manager Nick Caserio, who handed out a perfect two-word description of his versatile defensive back, and the role that he plays on Houston's defense during his latest interview on Texans Radio.

Rather than just labeling him as a safety or a defensive back, Caserio calls Pitre simply a "football player" due to his widely varying skillset.

"We can call it the football player. He's just a football player, and wherever you play him, good things usually happen." Caserio said of Jalen Pitre.

"He's a versatile player. He's very smart. He's very instinctive. He's very tough. He runs well. He plays physical. He plays urgently. And he's taking the ball away here over the last few games; among the league leaders in interceptions. So, nobody works harder than JP, just at his job."

"Whatever we've asked him to do, whether it's just play nickel, whether it's play nickel and safety, whether it's just playing safety. He's embraced that. He does everything that you want a football player to do, and he represents everything that our program is about."

A lot of the defensive credit falls upon the shoulders of the dominant defensive line duo of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., and even star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. But Pitre can't go without his due credit as a vital piece of their success on that end of the field, and more recently, getting the ball into the hands of C.J. Stroud with his ball-hawking abilities.

Pitre comes fresh off of two interceptions during the Texans' dominant 44-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, while also getting his first takeaway on the board in Week 3 as he picked off Trevor Lawrence. He ended Week 5 tied for second in the NFL for interceptions, trailing behind Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd, who has four himself.

Oct 5, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre (5) runs for a gain past Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) during the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Coming out of the bye, Pitre will have the hot hand when it comes to securing takeaways, looking for what will be his fourth interception of the year on the road vs. the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.

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