A Baylor honey badger nicknamed for his ball-hawking instincts who has become one of Houston's most versatile defensive backs.
Jalen Pitre arrived in Houston as a hybrid defender capable of playing safety, nickel corner or even linebacker, and that versatility has only grown more valuable as his career has progressed. His nose for the football has made him a consistent turnover threat in the Texans' secondary.
Path to the league
The Houston Texans drafted Pitre in the second round (37th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Baylor, where he was named 2021 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a consensus All-American. He played a hybrid role in Waco, seeing time at safety, nickel and WILL linebacker.
Career highlights
Pitre stepped directly into a starting safety role as a rookie under coach Lovie Smith and has remained a fixture in Houston's secondary ever since, earning a reputation for his tackling and ball skills that led to comparisons with Tyrann Mathieu's 'Honey Badger' style of play.
2025 season recap
Pitre had a standout 2025 season, recording 74 tackles, 12 passes defensed and four interceptions across 14 games. After opening the year at strong safety and hitting a midseason rough patch with missed tackles, he moved to free safety and finished with an 86.5 overall PFF grade, second among qualified safeties league-wide.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jalen Pitre
- Pro Football Reference: Jalen Pitre
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
14 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | texans | 14 | 74 | 43 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2024 | texans | 12 | 65 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 2023 | texans | 15 | 84 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 2022 | texans | 17 | 147 | 99 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Baylor
- Hometown
- Stafford, TX, USA
- Age
- 27
- Status
- active
