The Houston Texans will be without a key defender for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Standout safety Jalen Pitre suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Week 12 against the Tennessee Titans and won’t play again in ’24, as reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz. He’s set to undergo surgery. This is a tough blow for the Texans considering Pitre’s importance to their secondary.

The 2022 second-round pick has been a solid piece for Houston across three seasons, starting 44 games. This season, Pitre has 65 tackles, one interception, six tackles for loss, and eight pass breakups. He’s started in the slot all year. Initially, the injury wasn’t seen as season-ending but that changed in the past weeks.

After the injury occurred, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans made it clear how big of a loss it was. Via Sports Illustrated:

“He’s been a true impact player for us,” Ryans said of Pitre. “Just being around the ball. Just causing interceptions, forcing fumbles, he’s just been really active, very instinctive player for us, he’s been all over the field. And he’s made a lot of plays for us. And just miss his instincts, miss his playmaking ability, we’re going to miss that. So, we’ve got to pick it up and we’ve got to go. We’ve got to move forward. We’ve got to press forward. Whoever else steps in, we’ve got to hit the ground running.”

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With Houston’s offense playing inconsistent football, they’ve relied on their defense, who rank top-10 in nearly every major category. They’re also allowing just 22.2 points per game. The secondary has really thrived, allowing under 200 passing yards per contest. Pitre is a big reason for that.

Ryans’ squad remains in first in the AFC South with an 8-5 record after just barely the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13. The Texans had a Week 14 bye and will face the Miami Dolphins this Sunday.