Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre took a significant step on Wednesday.
Multiple reports from on the ground noted that the dynamic defensive back’s return to the practice field to begin Week 9.
Additionally, the Texans got backup offensive lineman Blake Fisher back, too, per SportsTalk 790’s Adam Wexler. However, per The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander, they remained without starting running back David Montgomery, who has been out as long as Pitre.
Safety Reed Blankenship also remained sidelined, per KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson on November 4.
Houston Stressans (Garret Williams) called Pitre’s return “massive” in a post on X.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters on Monday that there was “no significant update” on either player and that “Everybody is still working their working their way back.”
Texans Get Jalen Pitre Back at Practice, David Montgomery Still Sidelined
Ryans said they would see how their injured guys progressed throughout the week. There was optimism around Pitre before that, though, as Wilson reported on Monday that the fifth-year former second-round pick was “making steady progress” in his recovery.
Likewise, there was optimism around Montgomery’s recovery.
However, the offseason trade acquisition’s timeline for return remained even more nebulous than Pitre’s, a reality that the latter’s presence at practice on Wednesday only intensifies.
“We all miss him a ton. Jalen gives us so much flexibility of what we’re capable of doing on defense. We were able to stay nickel defense to whatever a team may throw at us, and we had our entire playbook at our disposal,” Ryans said on “Texans Radio” in October.
“When you miss a guy like that, it changes some things.”
Pitre’s health has been the lone blemish against him. He has missed multiple games in every season logging all 17 starts during the 2022 regular season.
The Texans signed Pitre to a three-year, $39 million extension that has him under team control through the 2028 season. That kind of investment only underscores Pitre’s significance to the Texans defense.
Houston Texans Get Good News About Versatile $39 Million Defensive Back