Texans Defender Gets Strong Endorsement From NFL Superstar

Jalen Pitre has built a reputation around the Houston Texans as one of the defense's most physical players, but getting that kind of recognition from one of the NFL's toughest running backs carries plenty of weight. Baltimore Ravens star Derrick Henry recently named Pitre when discussing the hardest tacklers in the NFL on Kevin Clark's This Is Football podcast. Henry's answer was especially notable considering he has spent his career running through defenders and rarely gets caught off guard by opposing tacklers, "There's some good ones. Pitre got me pretty good. Jalen Pitre got me pretty good. I didn't see him, and he snuck me. I respect his game, yeah, he can hit. He's a good tackler," Henry said. The praise comes from personal experience. Pitre delivered a big hit on Henry during Houston's 2025 matchup with Baltimore, a game in which the Texans' defense held the star running back to just 33 rushing yards on 15 carries. Pitre's ability to close quickly and deliver contact helped make the play memorable for Henry. For a player like Henry, getting caught off guard is rare. At 6-foot-2 and around 250 pounds, Henry has spent years establishing himself as one of the most difficult players in the league to bring down. He has made a career out of absorbing contact, keeping his balance and turning routine runs into explosive plays. That makes his comments about Pitre stand out even more. Pitre has always played with a physical edge, particularly when attacking the line of scrimmage. His willingness to fly downhill and make aggressive tackles has become a major part of his game, and Henry's comments provide another example of how that style is viewed by players around the league. The recognition also adds to the growing reputation of Houston's defense. The Texans have emphasized physicality under DeMeco Ryans, and Pitre has become one of the clearest examples of that mentality in the secondary. Henry could have named any number of defensive backs or linebackers when asked about the league's hardest tacklers. Instead, the Texans safety immediately came to mind after Henry remembered a hit that caught him by surprise. For Pitre, there may not be a better endorsement of his tackling ability. When one of the NFL's strongest and most accomplished running backs remembers you as the defender who got him good, it says plenty about the impact Pitre can make when he gets a clean shot. Henry's comments may not change how Pitre approaches his game, but they certainly reinforce what Texans fans have seen from him for years: Pitre is not afraid of contact, and he has the physicality to make even the NFL's toughest players feel it.