Houston Texans' 2025 defense poised for elite status with safeties Pitre, Gardner-Johnson & Ward. Get June 2025 updates on Stroud's OTA soreness & offense.
StatPro NFL Beat Reporter
Get ready, NFL offenses. The Houston Texans are building something fierce on the defensive side of the ball, and the buzz is growing louder by the day. Thursday brought exciting analysis highlighting a potentially elite secondary, even as the team navigates early OTA hurdles with franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud and continues to reshape its offensive arsenal.
The Texans have three safeties ranked in the top 25 league-wide. - Zoltan Buday, Pro Football Focus, highlighting the depth with C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jalen Pitre, and Jimmie Ward.
The big talk around Houston today is the defensive secondary, and for good reason. Pro Football Focus analyst Zoltan Buday has spotlighted the Texans' safety group as one of the league's best, with C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jalen Pitre, and Jimmie Ward all cracking the top 25. Pitre, the youngest of the trio, is particularly noteworthy, having achieved career highs in PFF overall grade (73.9), run-defense, and coverage grades last season before an injury cut his campaign short. When you pair these stalwarts with dynamic cornerbacks like Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, it's clear the Texans are aiming for a truly dominant pass defense in 2025. This unit has the potential to be a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.
While the defense draws raves, the Texans are also hard at work fortifying the offense. The mission to protect C.J. Stroud, especially after protection issues in 2024, took another step forward with the addition of veteran guard Brandon Scherff, a move aimed at transforming what was described as a 'crumbling offensive line into an iron fortress.' On the pass-catching front, with Tank Dell's status for 2025 still uncertain following his serious knee injury, the Texans are leaning on star Nico Collins, reliable veteran addition Christian Kirk, and exciting rookies Jayden Higgins (second round) and Jaylin Noel (third round). Coach DeMeco Ryans praised the rookies, saying, 'Jaylin's ability to stretch the field, in the deep end part of the field. And then you have Jayden, just a big target, very similar to Nico in what he's able to do.' This offensive retooling is crucial for Stroud's third-year leap.
Speaking of C.J. Stroud, the Texans are taking a cautious approach during OTAs. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed Stroud has been limited due to 'general soreness.' Ryans was quick to downplay concerns, stating, 'No concerns with C.J. It's just general soreness. We're taking extra precaution with him, but he'll be good to go.' This is a key storyline as Stroud aims to bounce back from a sophomore season that didn't quite hit the high expectations set after his stellar rookie year. In other OTA news, linebacker Christian Harris will miss the remainder of the sessions but is expected to be ready for training camp. These are minor bumps, but important to monitor as the team progresses through its offseason program at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
Adding to the offseason buzz, the Texans also announced their home game themes for the 2025 regular season. While the final two game dates and times are still pending, fans can now start marking their calendars and planning for what promises to be an exciting slate of games at NRG Stadium. It's another sign that the new season is inching closer!
With a potentially elite defense taking shape and a reconfigured offense aiming to support C.J. Stroud, the Texans are actively building towards a compelling 2025 season. The coming weeks will be crucial for Stroud's full recovery and for these new pieces, particularly on offense, to begin gelling ahead of training camp. The anticipation is certainly building in H-Town!
