How good is the Houston Texans’ secondary entering 2026?
In a sense, slightly underrated by Pro Football Focus compared to other rankings around the NFL, most notably at cornerback.
PFF recently revealed its top 32 safeties for the 2026 season, with both do-it-all slot defender Jalen Pitre and Pro Bowler Calen Bullock ranked inside the top half. One of the many reasons for Pitre’s high ranking is his positional flexibility. Best used near the line of scrimmage as an added name against the run, the veteran is considered among the best tacklers and space defenders in the sport.
But the reason for his lower-than-usual ranking? That positional flexibility. He’s fantastic at many things, but not elite at anything, hence the No. 7 overall ranking.
“Pitre has continued to develop over his four years in Houston, and he reached his zenith in 2025 with an 83.6 overall PFF grade — ranking third among qualified safeties,” PFF’s Dalton Wasserman wrote. “Pitre has operated best in the slot, where his 68.9 passer rating allowed was the third-best among safeties with at least 100 such coverage snaps. He also regularly brings a presence in the run game with 79.5-plus PFF run-defense grades in each of the last two years. The future is bright for the hard-hitting 27-year-old on arguably the sport’s best defense.”
While Pitre was low at No. 7, that’s nothing compared to Bullock’s No. 31 ranking. Granted, when Bullock was drafted out of USC in 2024, everyone commented on his struggles as an open-field tackler. He’s been known for ball-hawking skills in coverage, but Bullock took a massive step forward in tackling last season, resulting in a Pro Bowl nod.
So, what No. 31? Yards before contact played a major role in the ranking, thereby hurting Bullock’s overall standing.
“Bullock has quickly anointed himself as a starter in Houston, appearing on 2,188 snaps over his two-year career,” Wasserman said. “He showed nice development in his second season with an 85.6 PFF run-defense grade and by cutting his missed tackle rate in more than half, although his overall PFF grade was just a 69.4. While Bullock’s 50% catch rate and 35.4 snaps per reception were among the league’s best for safeties, his 14.8 yards per reception was the seventh-worst among qualifiers, and he only ranked in the 67th percentile in PFF coverage grade at free safety. If Bullock can avoid more big plays on a limited target share, he’ll grow even further.”
It’s hard to envision a world where the Texans don’t feature one of the best safety duos in the sport, but at least Houston has two names on the list. How many other teams can say that? Actually, five teams can, but four reside in the NFC.
To read the full list, click here.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans safety duo vastly underappreciated in Pro Football Focus’ new rankings
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cole Thompson, Texans Wire | USA TODAY Network
