HOUSTON – Backpedaling, breaking on the football and running next to his teammates, Texans safety and team captain Jalen Pitre was a happy man Wednesday morning after being medically cleared to practice again.
Pitre missed two games after being hospitalized overnight with a bruised lung and coughing up blood after taking a knee to the chest while blitzing Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson. It was a scary medical ordeal for the Stafford graduate and former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as he went to Maryland Shock Trauma for overnight observation with Texans trainer Brandon Kukal before traveling home to Houston.
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“It’s a little hard to breathe and it’s a little hard to catch your breath when you are working out,” Pitre said when asked what the injury felt like. “Your oxygen levels are a little bit skewed, that’s the biggest thing. I leave that up to the doctors to let me know when it’s good to go and thank God I am now.”
Pitre didn’t think right away that he was hurt badly. He took an inadvertent left knee to the chest from Jackson, a former NFL MVP, on the play. Then, he went to the sideline and took a knee before being examined by trainers and heading inside to the locker room at M&T Bank Stadium for further evaluation. When he was informed he was going to the hospital, it sank it that this was serious.
“I think initially when I got hurt and I couldn’t breathe, I thought it was a little shortness of breath,” Pitre said. “I was going to go back into the game, but the scariest part was when they told me I was going to the hospital, ‘Like what’s going on.’
“There’s a lot of uncertainty. That was the hardest part. The doctors took care of me. Shoutout to Kuk in the training room. we had a good time out there in Baltimore. Kuk took care of me, top class everything I needed. he was there for me. That’s one of the bros.”
It was extremely difficult for Pitre to sit still and heal and miss the past two games with the injury. At the same time, he didn’t want his frustration at not being able to play against the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars to dampen his teammates’ mood.
“I think the biggest thing I learned and reconfirmed is energy is contagious, whether you’re playing or if you’re not playing,” Pitre said. “The biggest thing I wanted to do was make sure my energy was right on the sidelines. I didn’t want to be a Debbie Downer just because I wasn’t playing or a guy that was lackadaisical, not prepared. I was still focused like I was going into the game playing, just trying to help my teammates as much as possible.”
The Texans’ secondary, missing cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. due to a hamstring injury for the next six to eight weeks and nickel Tavierre Thomas for another week or two after undergoing hand surgery, gets Pitre back. He and safety Jimmie Ward, who made an impact against the Jaguars with his hard-hitting style, after missing the first two games with a hip injury, will get to play together in a regular-season game for the first time.
“It’s going to be exciting,” Pitre said. “Jimmie is a good player and a guy I look up to, so it’s going to be good to out there and play with him. Really, the whole defense, we look forward to going out there on Sundays and play as a unit. I’m excited to be back out there and I’m really grateful I’m clear now.”
Having Pitre back, after the former second-round draft pick, led the Texans with 147 tackles and five interceptions as a rookie, provides a boost to the defense.
“It’s good having Jalen back out at practice today,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He brings great energy to our team, whether he’s practicing, whether he’s on the sideline, Jalen is just the epitome of what leadership looks like. He brings it every single day, so we’re happy to have him back out there.”
Playing against Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett means being ready for a lot of play-action passes. His most dangerous target is wide receiver George Pickens.
“Good young duo that can make a lot of plays,” Pitre said. “Kenny Pickett does a good job of controlling the game and making sure he’s making the right throws. Pickens is a game-changer. I look forward to the challenge.”
Difficult matchups don’t faze Pitre. It’s a lot better than the alternative: watching from the bench.
“Oh yeah, it was extremely tough, but it was fun to see it from another vantage point,” Pitre said. “Blessed me to be cleared now. I’m ready to go.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.