Texans GM Sums Up Jalen Pitre in Just Two Words
The Houston Texans' defense has had a handful of strong standouts through the first six weeks of action that have established their unit among one of the best in the NFL, allowing the lowest points to opposing offenses from Weeks 1-5 with an average of 12.2 points per game.
Among those standouts in the secondary, the most eye-catching playmaker in that mix might be Jalen Pitre–the fourth-year defensive back who's among the top of the league in interceptions (3), and a versatile piece of the Texans' defense who can fill in at nickel or safety.
And with a productive start in the books heading into the bye week, Pitre's even landed some significant praise from Texans general manager Nick Caserio, who handed out a perfect two-word description of his versatile defensive back, and the role that he plays on Houston's defense during his latest interview on Texans Radio.
Rather than just labeling him as a safety or a defensive back, Caserio calls Pitre simply a "football player" due to his widely varying skillset.
"We can call it the football player. He's just a football player, and wherever you play him, good things usually happen." Caserio said of Jalen Pitre.
"He's a versatile player. He's very smart. He's very instinctive. He's very tough. He runs well. He plays physical. He plays urgently. And he's taking the ball away here over the last few games; among the league leaders in interceptions. So, nobody works harder than JP, just at his job."
"Whatever we've asked him to do, whether it's just play nickel, whether it's play nickel and safety, whether it's just playing safety. He's embraced that. He does everything that you want a football player to do, and he represents everything that our program is about."
A lot of the defensive credit falls upon the shoulders of the dominant defensive line duo of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., and even star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. But Pitre can't go without his due credit as a vital piece of their success on that end of the field, and more recently, getting the ball into the hands of C.J. Stroud with his ball-hawking abilities.
Pitre comes fresh off of two interceptions during the Texans' dominant 44-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, while also getting his first takeaway on the board in Week 3 as he picked off Trevor Lawrence. He ended Week 5 tied for second in the NFL for interceptions, trailing behind Jaguars linebacker Devin Lloyd, who has four himself.
Coming out of the bye, Pitre will have the hot hand when it comes to securing takeaways, looking for what will be his fourth interception of the year on the road vs. the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.
Eagles' potential replacement for Kevin Patullo just fell into their laps
There might not be an assistant coach in the NFL who is under more fire for his performance in 2025 than Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
The first-year offensive coordinator has experienced significant growing pains while navigating the job. Patullo has taken heat for his predictable play-calling and for too easily abandoning the running game.
Statistically, this is one of the worst offenses in the NFL. In total offense, they are ranked 29th, averaging 274.5 yards per game. They are also ranked 28th in passing yards per game with 179.2 and 26th in rushing yards per game with 95.3.
This has raised the idea of either moving on from the offensive coordinator just six games into the season or bringing in some outside help. A familiar name could not only help the offense get through the season, he might be the best long-term solution for the future.
Eagles could turn to an old head coach to help get the offense rolling
While speaking with Dan Sileo on his show, former Eagles Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson was asked if the Eagles had ever inquired about him returning in a consulting role with the team. Pederson chuckled in his response, but provided somewhat of a clear answer.
"I'm shaking my head yes, but actually no. They didn't. I think too because I was a head coach there, I don't know if that's, I don't know."
Pederson was interrupted with the question as to whether he would have considered a consultant position there. The former head coach didn't exactly say no to the idea.
"I probably would have. I probably would have considered that. I think too, though, I don't know what the protocol is for former head coaches going back to their, you know, place where they won a championship, right? Coach there for five years, if that's something that is the right thing to do."
From 2016 to 2020, Pederson had a stellar five-year run as the head coach of the Eagles. He went 42-37-1 in the regular season and 4-2 in the postseason, including beating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2017. Pederson also coached the Jacksonville Jaguars for three years, leading the franchise to two winning seasons and a 1-1 postseason record.
Patullo clearly could use some help, and while there might be some awkwardness with Pederson having been a head coach before, he can really do a lot for the franchise. He took two struggling franchises and improved their offenses.
Pederson has Carson Wentz playing at an MVP level by his second season, and took a backup quarterback, Nick Foles, and made him a Super Bowl MVP. He also helped Trevor Lawrence get back on track with his career after a rough rookie season in Jacksonville.
A major plus is that Pederson is familiar with Jalen Hurts, having been his head coach when Hurts was a rookie. Pederson can find ways of creatively getting Hurts back on track with his play.
Patullo is proving each week that he was not ready to be the offensive coordinator, and Pederson would be able to step in and help. Maybe Pederson won't be the offensive coordinator right away, but he should be considered for that job in the future. Possibly this season?
