HOUSTON – One of the biggest elements that the Texans’ offense was missing all season: the presence of a dangerous slot wide receiver.
That’s because Tank Dell missed the entire season rehabbing from a devastating knee injury he suffered in December of the 2024 regular season in a road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
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Dell tried to make it back for the end of this season, but the plan was always for him to spend the season after undergoing several surgeries to repair a dislocated knee. Dell had his anterior cruciate ligament repaired with a standard reconstruction procedure. And he had his lateral collateral ligament and medial collateral ligaments repaired as former Texans team doctor Walter Lowe performed both procedures.
Now, Dell is poised to make a healthy comeback for the 2026 season. He has remained in good spirits throughout a long, grueling rehabilitation process.
The Texans missed the spark Dell provides to the offense with his outstanding route running skills and explosiveness after the catch.
He has caught 98 career passes for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns in 25 career games.
The knee injury marked the latest adversity for Dell whose dynamic rookie season was ended prematurely by a broken fibula that required surgery to repair the damage. Months later, Dell was the victim of a gunshot wound in his leg during a mass shooting in Florida while attending a party as an innocent bystander.
Then, he injured his knee in Kansas City after taking over as a starter when Stefon Diggs tore his anterior cruciate ligament and caught 51 passes for 667 yards and three touchdowns.
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, coming off a brutally erratic performance in the playoffs with five interceptions, five fumbles and seven total turnovers combined against the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers, is thrilled to have one of his best friends back for next season.
“Tank is a brother of mine, somebody who’s like blood to me,” Stroud said. “To see what he’s gone through the last two years has been heartbreaking and he’s been through a lot. But I know he’s grown a lot as a person and as a young man, especially as a man of God. So, I’m proud of him. The smile he continues to have on his face is contagious.
“I think for him too, being here every day putting in the work and putting his best foot forward in some situations that were out of his control, I think is amazing to see him do that. So, I’m super proud of him and I can’t wait to get him on the field. You all know the connection we have.”
Dell is inspirational to his teammates, including Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins.
“Yeah, man, you know, Tank, he wants to be out here,” Collins said this past season. “We got to continue to keep his spirits up, tell him we out here for you. Be in his corner no matter what. You know, like nobody want to miss the game you love. It’s heartbreaking, it’s crushing when you can’t be out there with your brothers.
“You see them every day and you’re like, dang, I miss you bro, you know what I’m saying. We know in spirit he’s getting better, so we’re going to go out here keep spinning it for him and make plays for him and keep his spirits up. We going to pick up where we left off. He’s in great spirits, though.”
Stroud and Dell, a fixture at practices and games, can perhaps get an inconsistent offense rolling gain. The Texans could have a receiving corps that includes Collins, Jayden Higgins, Dell, Justin Watson and Jaylin Noel. Christian Kirk is a pending free agent.
“You all know the connection we have and I know he’s getting his No. 1 back, so he’s happy about that,” Stroud said of Dell wearing his college jersey next year after wearing No. 3 previously. “I’m happy for him to get Uno back. So, we’re going to be coming back trim and I can’t wait to get my brother back on the field. I think our connection, hopefully our chemistry picks right back up where we left off.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com