The Houston Texans went all in on fixing the secondary.
General manager Nick Caserio used the No. 3 overall pick in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL draft to take cornerback Derek Stingley. With the No. 37 overall pick in Round 2, the Texans selected Baylor safety Jalen Pitre.
Caserio delivered impactful secondary players for coach Lovie Smith, who has deployed them adequately in his Tampa 2 scheme.
As the Texans get ready for Week 2, Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett has taken a look at how Houston’s rookies played and has come away impressed with Stingley.
“He’s a special player,” Hackett told Denver reporters Wednesday. “He’s going to be really, really special. When we evaluated him being at LSU, he was very much a press corner. I think that’s something he’s done a really good job at in his past. Now he’s learning the game. He’s playing some more zone coverage and reading that. You could just tell.”
Stingley collected seven tackles and a pass breakup in the Week 1 tie with the Indianapolis Colts, 20-20, at NRG Stadium.
Hackett is also impressed with Pitre, who he says will develop into another good player for Houston.
Said Hackett: “It’s not too big for them. They are very comfortable with the speeds — it’s not too fast. It’s going to be a great challenge going against both those young guys.”
Stingley and Hackett will have a chance to show Hackett how the game isn’t too big for them and demonstrate growth from Week 1 to Week 2 when the Texans face the Broncos Sunday at 3:25 p.m. Central Time from Empower Field at Mile High.
