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DJ Bien-Aime, ESPNNov 25, 2024, 05:32 PM ET
- DJ Bien-Aime covers the Houston Texans for ESPN. He joined ESPN in July of 2022 after covering the New York Jets. He’s a former athlete who finished his college career at Louisville. You can catch DJ on ESPN Radio on his show, “Talkin’ Texans.”
HOUSTON — Texans safety Jalen Pitre will be “out for some time” with a shoulder injury, coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday.
Pitre injured his shoulder in Houston’s 32-27 loss to Tennessee when he tackled Titans wideout Tyler Boyd in the second quarter. He left the game shortly after and didn’t return.
Pitre is trying to get a second opinion to determine exactly how long he’ll be out, according to league sources.
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The third-year safety out of Baylor has played slot corner for the Texans and was second on the team in tackles (65), tied for fifth in tackles for loss (6) and third in pass deflections (8).
In the Texans’ 34-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11, he forced Cowboys right tackle Tyler Guyton to fumble, which led to defensive end Derek Barnett scooping and scoring for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Guyton had recovered Cooper Rush‘s fumble after Barnett stripped sacked the quarterback.
“Jalen has brought — he’s been a true impact player for us. Just being around the ball. Just causing interceptions, forcing fumbles, he’s just been really active, very instinctive player for us, he’s been all over the field,” Ryans said. “And he’s made a lot of plays for us. And just miss his instincts, miss his playmaking ability, we’re going to miss that. So, we’ve got to pick it up and we’ve got to go. We’ve got to move forward. We’ve got to press forward. Whoever else steps in, we’ve got to hit the ground running.”
The Texans’ options to replace Pitre are safeties Eric Murray and Jimmie Ward, while having rookie Calen Bullock playing deep safety. They also could elevate cornerback Myles Bryant, who has experience playing nickel, from the practice squad onto the active roster.
The Texans (7-5), losers of four of their past six games, visit the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9) on Sunday.
