Houston Texans Defense: Pro Bowl Candidates

The Houston Texans have not had a defender make the Pro Bowl since J.J Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Benardrick McKinney were all selected in 2018.

The Texans have added a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball in recent years and have a few players who could legitimately be Pro Bowlers in 2023.

Player 1: Safety Jalen Pitre

Jalen Pitre is someone who came into Houston as a rookie and immediately secured a starting role on Lovie Smith’s defense and progressively got better as the season went on.

Pitre did miss a lot of tackles, but made up for it with his ballhawk tendencies, along with his hard-hitting and infectious play style. Pitre ended 2023 with 147 tackles, five interceptions and one sack.

If Pitre can get his missed tackles under control, he has the potential to be not only one of the best players on the Texans, but one of the best in the entire NFL at his position.

Player 2: Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.

Derek Stingley is someone who has all the potential in the world to be a true shutdown corner in the league, but injuries have been getting in his way, dating back to LSU.

Stingley had a solid rookie year, not allowing a single touchdown, but was forced to miss eight games in 2022, which is a problem.

The extremely talented cornerback has arrived to Texans organized training activities visibly bigger and stronger than last offseason and has looked the part thus far.

One of the main knocks on former Texans head coach Lovie Smith was how he used Stingley in his defense. Moving forward, Stingley is expected to be put in a better position to succeed under head coach DeMeco Ryans.

Player 3: Linebacker Denzel Perryman

Denzel Perryman was a force on the Las Vegas Raiders the past two seasons. In 2021, Perryman accumulated 154 total tackles and earned himself his first Pro Bowl. Perryman missed five games in 2022, but still managed to put together 83 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, two interceptions and one sack.

If Perryman can stay healthy and on the field, the Texans defense will take major strides in the right direction.

The Houston Texans have a number of players that could potentially make the Pro Bowl, and it will be interesting to see who steps up and who separates themselves from everyone else as the season inches closer.