The only competition wherein “close” counts is in horseshoes. However, how close Jalen Pitre came to making an all-NFL list is worth mentioning.
CBS Sports released their all-53 man NFL roster. The premise is to look at the entire NFL and pick the best at each position in order to comprise a 53-man roster — much the same way teams had to do last week when finalizing their rosters after preseason.
While CBS Sports did not identify who among their eight voters checked the box, Houston Texans rookie safety Jalen Pitre did receive a vote to be included on the all-53 roster. Ultimately Derwin James, Kevin Byard, Jessie Bates, and Jevon Holland made the cut.
For Pitre to get that type of consideration despite playing just three preseason games indicates the talent level the Baylor product is bringing to coach Lovie Smith’s Tampa 2 scheme. The Texans aren’t as nationally followed as they were even two years ago; therefore, Pitre garnering that type of attention without the team having any kind of spotlight on them indicates how well he has played in the exhibition phase of the year.
First-round cornerback Derek Stingley did not get the same consideration, but Smith did include the LSU product when talking about how the young defensive backs have adapted quickly to his system.
“They’ve picked up everything quickly,” Smith told reporters Aug. 29. “We’ve been pretty basic on what we’ve done in the preseason, but with everything else, that’s what I’ve seen from them. They’re football guys. They’re hungry. A lot of rookies are hungry and our rookies really are. Just don’t think we’re going to be limited with what we do with them. I don’t think we’re going to have to adjust what we like to do based on the amount of rookies that we play.”
If the Texans are able to play to their full potential on defense with Pitre making plays, he shouldn’t be snubbed from too many more lists.
