HOUSTON—During the second day of Houston Texans OTAs, a familiar voice could be heard calling out defensive assignments in 7-on-7 drills against the offense.
“Keep an eye on #28 (running back Joe Mixon); he is going to do a delay out of the backfield,” Pitre yelled to teammate Jimmie Ward. “He is not staying in to protect; that’s a dummy look.”
Pitre, 24, is heading into his third season with the Texans, who drafted him with the 37th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. After a stellar rookie season in which he had a team-high 147 tackles (99 solo) and five interceptions, the former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year at Baylor had a rough start to his sophomore season.
In the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens, Pitre had to be hospitalized after he suffered a bruised lung, which resulted in him missing the next two games.
Getting acclimated to playing football again, coming off such a horrific injury where, at times, it can be difficult to breathe, is a battle within itself. Trying to do it while learning a new defensive scheme under head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke can make it challenging.
The latter took a toll on Pitre throughout the season and caused Ryans to bench him in the second half of the Week 16 matchup with the Cleveland Browns. However, he didn’t let it break his spirit. Not being on the field with his teammates was a new experience for him, and he took it as a personal challenge.
He started the next four games for Houston (two regular-season and two postseason) and vowed to himself that lack of performance would never be why he was not on the field.
This season, Pitre will have the opportunity to play in the same defensive system for the first time in his NFL career. He has taken time to reflect on last season and has worked hard this off-season to become an essential part of the defense. Pitre used one word to describe his mindset on the football field in 2024.
“Calmness,” said Pitre. “I think that is the next step for me. Just being calm and understanding what the coaches want from me. After that, just making plays on the ball. That is the biggest thing I am looking forward to and more wins for the Texans. That is the biggest goal.”
After taking such an aggressive approach during his first two seasons, which often took him out of plays, Pitre has learned to control his aggression to ensure that he plays within the system.
“It is definitely controlled aggression,” Pitre responded during his press conference on Tuesday. “You can go off the rails a little bit sometimes, being eager to make plays. I am trying to be calm, cool, and collected out there and be able to do my job and make plays when my number is called.
“Going through a lot of ups and downs last year and understanding my role. I am trying to build on that. I am in a great spot. I understand what the coaches want from me and I am looking forward to year three.”