Tag: Texans secondary

Texans DE Jerry Hughes says S Jalen Pitre is ‘a step ahead of everyone’

Houston Texans defensive end Jerry Hughes says that safety Jalen Pitre appears to be “a step ahead of everyone” during mandatory minicamp.

The Houston Texans’ roster will be a generational blend of vested veterans and youngsters in 2023.

Defensive end Jerry Hughes is entering his 14th season in the NFL, which gives him perspective when it comes to younger players asserting themselves on a team. According to the former Indianapolis Colts 2010 first-round pick, what astounded Hughes about the Texans through the first day of mandatory minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center was the vocal participation from the younger players.

“It was amazing just to see how vocal the team was,” Hughes told reporters June 13. “Normally when you got a young team, that’s one of the things you harp on is that we’re not vocal enough, not able to move fast enough. But that’s not the case.”

One younger player who was excelling even beyond veterans was second-year safety Jalen Pitre, who led the Texans with 147 combined tackles and five interceptions last year.

“Pitre is moving probably a step ahead of everyone at this time,” said Hughes.

Coaching critiques and veteran leadership can only carry a team so far. For the Texans to truly turn the corner on their rebuilding phase, they will need more than Pitre to lead the youth movement throughout the 17-game campaign.

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Texans CB Steven Nelson attends mandatory minicamp

Houston Texans cornerback Steven Nelson is attending mandatory minicamp after not being present for the team’s voluntary workouts.

The Houston Texans don’t have to worry about the attendance in the secondary.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, cornerback Steven Nelson will participate in mandatory minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center Tuesday.

While Nelson was away from the team, he also retooled his representation. The 30-year-old hired David Mulugheta from Athletes First — C.J. Stroud’s representation — as his new agent.

The 5-10, 194-pound cornerback started 15 games for Houston last season, collecting 52 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, a forced fumble, an interception, and seven pass breakups.

Nelson is tied for 40th in terms of annual average compensation among cornerbacks at $4.5 million a year.

The former Kansas City Chiefs 2015 third-round pick signed a two-year deal in March 2022 with a maximum value of $10 million that includes $4.5 million guaranteed. Nelson gets a $3.5 million base salary in 2023 along with $750,000 of the salary guaranteed. There is also an additional $1 million per-game active roster bonus with $500,000 in play-time incentives.

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Jimmie Ward gives boost to ascending Texans secondary

The addition of safety Jimmie Ward was a boon for a Houston Texans secondary that was already on the upswing.

The Houston Texans already had a promising secondary heading into the new league year.

Second-round safety Jalen Pitre led the defense with 147 combined tackles and five interceptions. The Baylor product managed to win the starting job and relegated Eric Murray to a reserve role as Pitre started all 17 games.

Throw in first-round cornerback Derek Stingley, who had his season limited to nine games due to a hamstring injury, and the Texans have two young pieces to make their backend formidable in the coming seasons.

However, the signing of Jimmie Ward in free agency was a move that made Houston better on the backend in the present.

According to Dalton Wasserman from Pro Football Focus, the former San Francisco 49ers defensive back ranks as the 14th-best safety in the NFL.

One of the most versatile players on this list, Ward moved almost exclusively to the slot in 2022 after several years of acting as a more movable chess piece. Ward figures to go back to his old role in Houston with DeMeco Ryans running the show, and even if he doesn’t, he will likely be very productive. Ward’s 91.4 run-defense grade last season should immensely help the Texans’ league-worst run defense.

Ryans particularly appreciates Ward’s ability to stay versatile, a key in today’s NFL that features offenses attacking a variety of ways.

“With the secondary, with the way the game is going, it’s more pass-heavy all throughout the NFL,” Ryans said on June 6 after organized team activities. “So, the more versatility that you can have in your back end, whether you’re playing a nickel or a dime defense, the more defensive backs you can have to cover and do multiple things, the better off you can be when you’re trying to strategize against these different opponents that run more RPO game, more passing threats.”

Houston having a top-15 talent in the secondary to go along with their young talent creates an opportunity to have a stingy defense at some level in 2023.

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Texans S Jimmie Ward has been helping young defensive backs learn system

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward has been helpful in getting the younger defensive backs up to speed in DeMeco Ryans’ defense.

DeMeco Ryans is providing a variety of modes for the Houston Texans to learn his defensive system.

The former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator has assistants who can teach players in the classroom and also on the field for more visual learners. Ryans also has former players who were with him in San Francisco to help with the finer aspects of his scheme.

One of those former 49ers to come eastward is safety Jimmie Ward. The former 2014 first-round pick has been an example for young defensive backs in the secondary, including second-year safety Jalen Pitre.

“He’s been great in that room with, again, with a guy like Jalen, obviously working with him,” defensive coordinator Matt Burke said on May 31. “You know, like I said, working with Jalen and kind of helping that growth along, the whole back end, it’s great.”

Another player the Texans brought in from San Francisco is Hassan Ridgeway, although the defensive tackle has been limited with a groin injury.

“Obviously just a lot of the guys or some of the guys that we targeted to bring in from Jimmie and some of the guys on D-line that have a history in the system and familiarity, it just helps almost just keep the messaging going obviously in the locker room and those sorts of things,” said Burke.

Working with younger teammates has also revitalized Ward, according to Burke.

Said Burke: “Jimmie has been great, and he looks like he’s about 25 right now out there, so that’s been cool, too.”

Ward provided the 49ers with 50 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, three interceptions, five pass breakups, and a forced fumble through 12 games, five of which he started.

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Texans S Jalen Pitre wants to play with patience in 2023

Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre would like to play with patience as a follow up to his stellar rookie campaign.

Jalen Pitre was one of the few good things the Houston Texans had going in 2022.

The second-round safety led the team with five interceptions. Pitre was also prolific as a tackler, leading the team with 147.

As long as the Texans get that same level of production out of the former Baylor product, even with new coach DeMeco Ryans deploying a defense that emphasizing disruption from the down linemen, Houston should be able to elevate their defense.

In the NFL, if a player is not growing, they are atrophying, which means an early exit for an otherwise promising career. Pitre told reporters during organized team activities May 23 at Houston Methodist Training Center just what he has in mind to improve heading into his second season.

“The biggest thing I would say is my patience,” Pitre said. “I feel like I developed good patience throughout the year. It’s also one of those things that you could never perfect. So I’m trying to build on that and trying to just slow my eyes down, and that will allow me to play faster and make those plays that need to be made.”

Patience is a virtue that former San Francisco 49ers safety Jimmie Ward had to learn playing in Ryans’ scheme, and defensive passing game coordinator Cory Undlin was instrumental in that application.

If Pitre is able to master his patience playing on the backend of Houston’s defense, then the rewards should be plentiful.

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Antonio Cromartie posits Texans CB Derek Stingley would get praise in bigger market

Former All-Pro cornerback Antonio Cromartie believes the Houston Texans’ Derek Stingley would get more attention if he were in a bigger market.

Though situated in a football state, Houston has had trouble developing as a big market in the NFL.

Whether it was the lack of having a franchise from 1997-2001 or the lack of wins beyond the wild-card round for the Houston Texans since 2002, Space City can’t stay relevant to the rest of the league unless they are winning, which has been difficult to come by since 2019.

As a result, there are some players on the Texans’ roster that get slept on, and one of them is cornerback Derek Stingley, according to former All-Pro cornerback Antonio Cromartie.

Cromartie took time after working out college defensive backs at Ollin Athletics and Sports Medicine to opine about the Texans’ former 2022 No. 3 overall pick.

“Love him, I don’t think he gets enough credit because he’s not in a bigger market,” Cromartie said via Aaron Wilson of KPRC-TV. “I think if Sting was in New York, it would be a whole different spiel. I think Stingley had a great rookie season and I think it’s going to be even better as he goes on. The kid is phenomenal.”

The former LSU product had a limited rookie season with nine games, but was nonetheless productive with 43 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, five pass breakups, and an interception.

Part of Stingley’s production is a result of his understanding and application of the game.

“Football IQ is high, and athletic ability can’t take that away from him,” Cromartie said. “I think he’s a game-changer who can do the things he needs to do on the back end and he’s going to have another good season this year.”

The Texans’ defensive scheme under new coach DeMeco Ryans is predicated upon an attacking front four that forces opposing quarterbacks into mistakes. If Stingley is racking up interceptions amid a Texans turnaround, it should help the former Bayou Bengal — no matter Houston’s market size.

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Texans S Jimmie Ward lands on ‘top-30 over 30’ list

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward has made Pro Football Focus’ “top-30 over 30” list.

The Houston Texans needed Jimmie Ward.

New coach DeMeco Ryans needed a former lieutenant from his San Francisco 49ers defenses to show the way to the younger Texans. The former 2014 first-round safety could demonstrate technical aspects of the defense to second-year Jalen Pitre while also clarifying in the locker room the expectations and demeanor one needs to play in Ryans’ system.

In Houston, Ward is aware his experience playing for Ryans will be called upon just as much as his skills on the field.

“Just try to bring the younger guys along because I’ve been through a lot going on my 10th year in this league,” Ward told reporters May 4. “Really just try to explain to them my experience and tell them in this defense that you’ve got to work as a string. If somebody is off on this defense, we can give up an explosive.”

According to John Kosko from Pro Football Focus, Ward ranks No. 27 on the analytics site’s top-30 list of players 30 years old or older.

Ward has been a consistently good piece for the 49ers’ defense for several years and follows his defensive coordinator to Houston. While he struggled in coverage early in his career, he has been excellent in both coverage and run defense since 2019.

Ward started in five of his 12 games played last season for San Francisco, but was still effective. The former Northern Illinois product collected 50 combined tackles, a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, an interception, a pass breakup, and three forced fumbles.

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Report: Texans sign CB Shaquill Griffin to 1-year contract

The Houston Texans have signed former Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Shaquill Griffin to a one-year contract.

Talent evaluation and personnel acquisition never stops for the Houston Texans.

According to Aaron Wilson from KPRC-TV, the Texans signed former Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Shaquill Griffin to a one-year contract. The maximum value of the contract is worth $4.5 million with $3 million guaranteed.

Griffin, 27, played 19 games for the Jaguars over the past two seasons. The former Seahawks third-round pick collected 59 combined tackles, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and 11 pass breakups for Jacksonville.

The 6-0, 198-pound cornerback’s best season was in 2019 when he amassed 65 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, and 13 pass breakups through 14 games, all of which he started en route to his only Pro Bowl selection.

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Texans sign seventh-round safety Brandon Hill to rookie contract

The Houston Texans have signed seventh-round safety Brandon Hill to a standard rookie contract.

The Houston Texans have added another member of their nine-player draft class to their payroll.

The Texans announced Friday they have signed seventh-round safety Brandon Hill to a standard four-year rookie contract.

General manager Nick Caserio told reporters on April 29 after the draft that Hill “fits the profile” for what new coach DeMeco Ryans wants to install on defense.

“Fast, tough, explosive, urgent, 5-10, 195,” Caserio said. “Got a good playing style, tough. Things that DeMeco wants to emphasize on defense, he sort of fits the profile. Probably a little better closer to the line of scrimmage. We’ll see where he fits in some other spots.”

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Jimmie Ward embracing mentor role with young Texans secondary

Former San Francisco 49ers safety Jimmie Ward is relishing the chance to be a mentor for the Houston Texans’ relatively youthful secondary.

Houston Texans safety Jimmie Ward had been away from the South for so long that he had forgotten the one basic necessity that will help you navigate through any state, city, or small town that runs along the “Bible Belt,” and that is speaking to everyone that crosses your path.

“In California, it’s okay to be rude,” Ward said as he addressed the media on Thursday. “People walk past you, look, don’t say anything. It’s normal. You walk past somebody here (Houston), ‘Hey, how you are doing, sir?’ I was like, ‘Hey, my bad. I forgot.’ It’s just the culture. How y’all are excited, y’all are smiling. It’s something I’m not used to.”

Ward had spent the last nine years in the defensive backfield for the San Francisco 49ers and decided that it was time for a change when DeMeco Ryans, his former defensive coordinator for the last two seasons, was hired this offseason to coach the Texans. He signed a two-year, $13 million contract to compete for a starting spot opposite second-year safety Jalen Pitre.

“I’ve been breaking down the film now,” Ward said when asked about Pitre. “We’ve been talking about it, talking a lot about it. One thing that I’ve seen is that he (Pitre) has great ball skills. He can really move. He has some great feet. He told me a little about his background story and how he played nickel in college, and that’s similar to what I did.

“I’m excited because it can be interchangeable where I don’t always have to cover, he doesn’t always have to blitz, or he don’t always have to be in the post. We can switch it up, and that’s great for a defense because we can disguise better.”

Pitre isn’t the only defensive teammate that caught Ward’s attention from last season. Cornerback Derek Stingley stood out in his limited time on the field, playing in only nine games before being placed on the injured reserve list for the rest of the season due to a strained hamstring.

“He’s good,” said Ward when assessing the play of Stingley. “I seen how he moves around. He’s like 6-1, 6-0, but he moves like he’s 5-9, 5-8. Dude’s a stud. He’s going to be a stud. Then his confidence is already there. When you’re playing in the SEC, the level doesn’t just jump up too much because a lot of guys that he locked down at LSU are in the league. Didn’t they just break a record of SEC guys drafted this year? Okay, this guy Stingley covered the majority of the top wide receivers coming out or tight ends.

“That’s the reason his confidence is so high. It’s going to keep clicking for him. The game is going to slow down and slow down, and sooner or later, I’m not looking at his side. I’m going to go steal some on the other side. You aren’t going to catch the ball on Stingley.”

Ward is coming from a Ryans-led defense in San Francisco that was ranked No. 1 last season, barely allowing 300 yards per game (222.9 passing and 77.7 rushing) to its opponent.

Much of that was predicated on players being in the correct position and staying within the defensive scheme. Failing to do that will get you an up-close conversation with Ryans, who is not afraid to be a stern but fair coach.

“He’ll call you out,” Ward elaborated when asked about Ryans coaching style. “I feel like no matter the age, no matter how good a guy is, All-Pro/Pro Bowl, you’ve got to be able to take criticism. You’ve got to be able to be coachable. That’s one guy who played this game and played it for a long time, and he knows what you’ve been through, and that’s one guy that a lot of guys look up to.”

Ryans hired Cory Undlin and Bobby Slowik, two former co-workers during his time with the 49ers, as part of his staff. With those additions, it appears that the Texans have shed the unwanted moniker of “Patriot South,” a nickname given to them by the fans after the organization hired and signed so many former New England Patriots front office staff and players.

Even though Ward is being reunited with his former coaches, who were part of a franchise that went to multiple NFC Championship Games, he does not want his new team to be called anything else but the Texans.

“We’ve got to find our own culture,” Ward said. “We’ve got to create our own identity. We’re not San Fran. We’re Houston. So that’s who we’re going to be.”

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