Tag: Texans secondary

WATCH: Texans CB Steven Nelson intercepts Steelers QB Kenny Pickett

Houston Texans cornerback Steven Nelson intercepted Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett in Week 4.

The Houston Texans’ secondary has taken its hits with injuries, but the unit has been nevertheless resilient.

Cornerback Steven Nelson has been arguably the most consistent element the Texans have been able to count on in the secondary, and he proved it yet again in Week 4. The nine-year pro took advantage of a deep ball from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett with 4:58 to go in the first quarter.

It wasn’t just that Nelson came up with the takeaway, but the wily veteran returned the turnover 33 yards to the Steelers’ 45-yard line.

The interception was the defensive back’s second of the season.

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Texans S Jimmie Ward says QB C.J. Stroud is ‘playing lights out’

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward says quarterback C.J. Stroud has been “playing lights out” through the first three games.

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward wanted one thing at training camp: to help the defense and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud on the other side of the ball improve.

He requested a play clock on the field during practice.

“Meco [Head Coach DeMeco Ryans] put the play clock out there,” said Ward, who suggested that during his playing days with the San Francisco 49ers. “He put the play clock out there for the offense and was like, ‘See what time it is and hurry and get out the huddle, and you have to hurry up and snap the ball.’”

The clock helped Stroud with his timing and pre-snap recognition of defensive schemes being thrown at him by coach Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke. Ward also noticed early on that Stroud was holding on to the ball too long, trying to read everything the defense was doing at once.

“Everything is timing,” Ward said during his press conference on Monday. “So, when he sees D-ends [defensive ends] or a blitz coming to him trying to get the ball out, that’s just him working on his game. I feel like it paid off for him. In his first three games, he’s out there playing lights out.

“It’s good to see and we feed off of that as a team and guys around sees that. When you see your quarterback playing lights out, as a rookie, that feeds everybody and everybody needs that type of energy and it is contagious.”

Stroud has been on a historic run in his first three games of his NFL career, becoming the first rookie in NFL history to have 121 passing attempts without an interception to go along with 906 yards and four touchdowns. He surpasses former Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon, the previous record holder with 103 attempts without a pick in 1984.

The former Ohio State signal caller led the Texans to their first victory of the season with a 37-17 defeat of the Jacksonville Jaguars this past Sunday, where he passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns.

Ward, who is in his 10th season in the league, his first with Texans, didn’t know what type of player Stroud would be early on because neither of his defensive teammates were allowed to hit the quarterback. It wasn’t a question of how tough Stroud was for Ward; it was more about how he would perform with pressure around him while in fear of taking a hit.

Although he missed the first two games of the season with a hip injury, Ward did his best to ensure he constantly talked to his rookie play-caller, relentlessly heaping positive affirmations. He also wanted Stroud to know that once he could play again, he would help take responsibility on the defensive side of the ball to help relieve pressure off the offense.

“I told him, ‘C.J., when I get back in there, I am going to fight bro, I’m going to fight for you, bro. Trust me. I’m going to help you out,’” Ward said to the media. “‘I just want you to go out there and play, just do your thing. It’s backyard football. Be a playmaker. You’ve been doing it your whole life.’”

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Report: Texans could place CB Derek Stingley on injured reserve with hamstring injury

The Houston Texans could place cornerback Derek Stingley on injured reserve as he recovers from a hamstring injury sustained in practice.

The Houston Texans secondary is taking the hits.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans could place former 2022 first-round cornerback Derek Stingley on injured reserve as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

Stingley was not on the injury report for Wednesday, and it appears that the former LSU product sustained in the injury in practice on Thursday.

Houston is also working through a rash of injuries to the secondary that has safeties Jimmie Ward, Jalen Pitre, and Eric Murray on the injury report. The Texans are also compromised at nickelback with cornerback Tavierre Thomas working with a hand injury.

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Texans to turn to S Grayland Arnold if CB Tavierre Thomas doesn’t play against the Jaguars

The Houston Texans are prepared to turn to S Grayland Arnold to handle nickel if CB Tavierre Thomas can’t make it against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Tavierre Thomas has carved out a role as one of the best nickel backs in the NFL. However, the Houston Texans may need to find an adequate replacement in Week 3 as the former Ferris State product missed Wednesday’s practice with a hand injury.

While Thomas missed the first of three practices for Week 3, the Texans still have to be prepared in case their starting nickel isn’t able to face the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at TIAA Bank Field.

Coach DeMeco Ryans met with reporters at NRG Stadium and revealed how the Texans would approach the nickel should Thomas be unavailable.

“With Tavierre, with him and his injury, we’ll have Grayland [Arnold] step into his place and Grayland will be ready to go,” said Ryans.

Arnold has been a mainstay on special teams with 42 such snaps logged through the first two games. As Houston has dealt with injuries to safeties Jalen Pitre, Jimmie Ward, and Eric Murray, Arnold has played 20 snaps on defense through the first two games.

The 5-10, 190-pound defensive back has been with the Texans since Week 2, 2021, when he signed with the practice squad. Arnold has recorded four combined tackles through 14 career games with Houston.

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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans bemoans inconsistency against the Colts

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans knows that consistency was a problem for his team in their 31-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

The Houston Texans have shown flashes of excellence over the past eight quarters of 2023. However, that is the problem for DeMeco Ryans: flashes.

With the Texans starting 0-2, the rookie coach knows that part of the issue is related to the team’s inability to sustain successful play throughout a full 60-minute contest.

“What I say to our guys after this is, ‘We can’t wait till the second half,'” Ryans said after the 31-20 Week 2 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. “Like I did see improvement from game one to game two from our offense, but our defense took a step back. And we can’t have the back and forth. We have to be consistent, and that’s the one thing. Be consistent and don’t have self-inflicted wounds that you’re too far behind and have to catch up.”

The Texans allowed the Colts to gain 353 yards total offense and allowed Indianapolis to convert 6-12 on third downs.

Houston fell down as far as 28-10 at halftime before scoring 10 second half points thanks to a C.J. Stroud touchdown pass — second on the afternoon — and a Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal.

“We can’t play catch-up ball,” said Ryans. “We have to be in it the entire game. So that’s what I say to those guys. I definitely appreciate what they did in the second half, to have that grit to fight back to give us an opportunity there, and we came up a little short. So always encouraged and pleased by that, but we’ve got to start faster.”

The Texans will have a chance to put together a more consistent effort when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars Sept. 24 for Week 3 at TIAA Bank Field.

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Texans S Eric Murray out against Colts with concussion

Houston Texans safety Eric Murray is questionable to return against the Indianapolis Colts as he is being evaluated for a concussion.

The Houston Texans are being tested at a position that is already taking on attrition.

The team announced Sunday afternoon safety Eric Murray is begin evaluated for a concussion and is questionable to return against the Indianapolis Colts.

Houston already entered the contest down their two starting safeties in Jalen Pitre and Jimmie Ward. Pitre was nixed due to a bruised lung from Week 1 while Ward had a hip injury that prevented him from playing on Opening Day.

The Texans have been giving more snaps to Grayland Arnold as the defense looks for ways to plug yet another hole on the backend.

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Texans cornerbacks placed among Pro Football Focus’ top-32 for Week 1

The Houston Texans had three cornerbacks appear on Pro Football Focus’ top-32 list for Week 1.

There were favorable happenings for the Houston Texans in their Week 1 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Although being squelched 25-9 and beginning another rebuilding season with an 0-1 mark invites its own pessimism, the Texans had a few positive trends develop on the field at M&T Bank Stadium.

Would you believe three of the best cornerbacks across the league were in Texans uniforms in Week 1?

According to John Kosko from Pro Football Focus, the top cornerback was Tavierre Thomas, who earned a 91.2 coverage grade from the analytics firm.

Thomas locked it down vs. the Ravens, recording four pass stops, including one tackle for a loss. Not only was he excellent on targeted passes, where he allowed -0.308 expected points added (EPA) per target, but Thomas was the eighth-best cornerback at preventing separation on all pass plays.

Steven Nelson came in at No. 8 overall with an 84.9 coverage grade. Considering the 30-year-old had an interception and a pass breakup, it would be hard to argue Nelson not being somewhere around the top-10.

Second-year Derek Stingley made the list, but had an interesting placement at No. 24 with a 65.0 grade.

Stingley looked more like the LSU freshman version of himself in Week 1, as he allowed just one catch for 20 yards and forced an incompletion while allowing the fourth-best separation rate of the week.

If the Texans are able to consistently take care of the boundaries and add tight slot coverage, it won’t be hard to find once the offense starts scoring points and opponents have to play catch-up.

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Texans DC Matt Burke confident in safety depth

Houston Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke is not concerned about the depth questions surrounding the safeties group heading into Week 2.

One of the more optimistic position groups for the Houston Texans heading into 2023 was their safeties. With 10-year veteran Jimmie Ward, who had the past two years with DeMeco Ryans as his defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers, joining forces with second-year standout Jalen Pitre, the expectation was Houston had their backend locked down.

Ward missed Week 1 with a hip injury, and Pitre was knocked out halfway through the 25-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens with a bruised lung. With Houston set to host the Indianapolis Colts for Week 2 in the NRG Stadium opener, chances are neither Ward nor Pitre will be ready to go.

Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke nevertheless remains confident in his safeties, especially after their resilience against the Ravens.

“Yeah, I thought they did a great job,” Burke told reporters Sept. 14. “Honestly the question in here last week I think about that group, and I said I thought that was our best unit and most prepared and had the most depth and I think it showed.”

Eric Murray played 64 defensive snaps, representing all of Houston’s plays, and generated four combined tackles. M.J. Stewart, who filled in for Pitre, played 35 snaps and had five combined tackles and a fumble recovery.

I don’t think we missed a beat with either of those guys playing and we felt confident in that — the players feel confident in those guys going out there,” said Burke. “That didn’t affect us at all. I don’t think we blinked.”

The Texans may have to roll with Murray and Stewart against the Colts, and Burke and the coaching staff appear to believe their defensive backs won’t blink.

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Report: Texans S Jalen Pitre released from hospital with bruised lung

Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre has been released from a Baltimore area hospital with a bruised lung.

The Houston Texans have slight good news the day after falling 25-9 to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 at M&T Bank Stadium.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, safety Jalen Pitre has been released from a Baltimore area shock trauma hospital. The former 2022 second-round pick sustained a bruised lung that knocked him out of the first half of Sunday’s game.

Pitre was still plenty productive despite the curtailed playing time. The former Baylor product logged two tackles, which helped him to become the second-fastest player in Texans history to have 100-plus solo tackles. The first was DeMeco Ryans. Nevertheless Pitre is still the fastest defensive back to do so in team history.

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Texans S Jalen Pitre out against the Ravens with chest injury

The Houston Texans declared safety Jalen Pitre out with a chest injury in the second half against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Houston Texans will have to figure out how to stop the Baltimore Ravens offense without their talented young safety.

The Texans ruled safety Jalen Pitre out with a chest injury in the second half of their Week 1 contest at M&T Bank Stadium. The Texans were down 7-6 to Baltimore when Pitre was ruled out.

The Texans played more of safety M.J. Stewart in place of Pitre.

The former 2022 second-round pick collected two combined tackles and a quarterback hit through the first half against the Ravens.

Houston entered Week 1 without safety Jimmie Ward, who was expected to start alongside Pitre throughout the season.

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