Jalen Pitre and Juice Scruggs Injuries Test Depth of the Texans
Changes are coming as the Texans have two key players down
The season is over for Jalen Pitre. KPRC’s Aaron Wilson reported the safety will have season-ending surgery to repair his torn pectoral muscle.
There was some hope Pitre could return when the team didn’t immediately place him on injured reserve but that has now evaporated.
Pitre ends his bounce-back campaign with 65 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble. The box score hides the true impact from the third-year player. Pitre was an agent of chaos this season.
DeMeco Ryans deserves credit for the move of Pitre to nickel cornerback. Last year Pitre had a dip in production from his impressive rookie season, even getting benched at one point. Ryans moved him closer to the line of scrimmage where his athleticism and instincts turned him into a key piece of this defense.
With him no longer an option Houston will have to move pieces around to fill the vacancy.
First up is Jimmie Ward. The safety will step into the nickel cornerback role. Ward previously handled that position in San Francisco for Ryans on the 49ers defense. Ward made it clear on his arrival to Houston that he was here to play safety, not nickel cornerback.
Shortly after Pitre’s injury, Ward said he would do whatever the team needed from him. Well, they need him at nickel cornerback.
This puts Eric Murray onto the field in Ward’s safety spot. Murray has had some excellent games, Indianapolis in Houston, and some ones I am sure he wants back like the Tennessee game a couple of weeks ago.
Murray isn’t helpless, but he isn’t as good as Ward. Excellent offenses will find Murray and try to exploit his presence in coverage. It will be up to Ryans to give him the best chance to succeed and the pass rush to limit the chances the opposing offense has to attack Murray.
The Texans can also use a few more alignments with three linebackers, but that is a limited amount of snaps where that helps solve the Pitre problem. Ward’s durability is a worry as well. Myles Bryant is a backup option at the nickel cornerback spot.
Ryans will have to work overtime to maximize the strengths of his scheme and hide the slight downtick that Pitre’s absence presents.
The Texans Are Set to Shuffle Offensive Line Again
The Houston Texans had their best blocking performance in forever against the Jacksonville Jaguars before the bye week. They allowed just two sacks, a season-low eight quarterback pressures, and a season-low quarterback pressure percentage.
Now the Texans will change from that offensive line.
Juice Scruggs, who started the season at center and moved to guard, is hurt. He didn’t practice on Wednesday due to an injury to his lower leg. Scruggs hasn’t been incredible at guard, but he’s been solid. He’s also been the guard when the pass blocking for this team has looked the best.
The Texans have options to replace Scruggs.