HOUSTON ā Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was shot Saturday night, sustaining minor wounds in Florida as an innocent bystander in a mass shooting at a nightclub.
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Dell has already been released from the hospital Sunday and is expected to make a full recovery. Dell was not involved in the altercation at Cabana Live and was caught in the cross-fire. Florida police announced that a 16-year-old suspect has been taken into custody after the incident where 10 people, including Dell, a former University of Houston standout, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The Texans are aware of the shooting and have been in communication with Dell.
āWe have been made aware that Tank Dell was a victim of a shooting in Sanford, Fla., last night,ā the Texans said in a statement. āHe sustained a minor wound, but has been released from the hospital and he is in good spirits. We are in contact with him and his family and will provide more updates when appropriate, but we ask that you please respect his privacy at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in the incident.ā
Statement from the Houston Texans: pic.twitter.com/0ISsjlMHr0
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) April 28, 2024
He was in Florida to visit his mother in his hometown of Daytona Beach.
The Texansā dynamic wide receiver previously made a full and speedy recovery from a broken fibula that interrupted a strong rookie season.
Dell has been participating in the Texansā offseason conditioning program, participating in extra throwing sessions with Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud and extra training sessions with NFL trainer Justin Allen and private coach Delfonte Diamond.
āHe looks great,ā Stroud said. āHeās gotten a lot better. Mentally, I think for both of us, really all of the rookies coming into Year 2, everything is starting to slow down, and the wheels arenāt turning so much up in your head. Youāre starting to play ball. Being able to throw with him in L.A. was really big.ā
Dell was on track for 73 catches, 1,096 yards and 11 touchdowns when he got hurt. Dell broke tight end Owen Danielsā rookie franchise record for touchdown catches.
Four of the Texansā catches of at least 20 yards or more came on Dell touchdown receptions. Thatās the third-highest mark in the league for any receiver with touchdowns of at least 20 yards, at the time of his injury.
āTank is back and heās starting to get in with our guys here with the offseason programs,ā Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. āSo, Iām excited to have Tank back. That was a devastating loss for us last year, losing him. Heās such a dynamic player for us, such an inspiration for myself, a lot of our team. So, Iām excited to see Tank back working with our guys, and excited to see him make that same jump I talked about from Year One to Year Two.ā
Perhaps Dell could become a Pro Bowl selection one day.
āI think so, too,ā trainer Justin Allen said. āI think the injury cut him short, but God has a plan. Iām excited to see what he does Year 2 and he will reap all the benefits. One thing I like working with him is his attitude. You canāt teach it. Very few players have that type of talent with his mindset and humble eagerness.ā
āTo be honest with you, he hasnāt lost a beat,ā trainer Delfonte Diamond told KPRC 2. āHe looks 10 times faster. Yes sir, heās a special breed. Heās moving like heās always been doing. He ran full speed.ā
Dell previously told KPRC he would be ready for organized team activities in the spring.
āHeāll be more than ready for the time OTAs jump off,ā Diamond said. āHeās way ahead of schedule. I canāt wait to see No. 3 put that helmet back on. That first year was the teaser. Heās fixing to up the price.ā
Watching his good friend, Stroud, put on a show at the Pro Bowl Games only provided more motivational fuel for Dell to get back on the field catching passes from the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
āYeah, definitely by the time they come back, Iām going to hit the ground running,ā Dell told KPRC 2 during the Tristar Productions autograph show at NRG Arena. āIām going to be ready. Iām just waiting on 7 and those guys to come back from enjoying their time off and weāll get back to work.
āThe offseason has been good, just rehab every day, Monday through Friday, Saturdays on my own. Trying to get one percent better, so, once we do come back for OTAs, Iām ready to go.ā
Dell got hurt in the 11th game of the season while blocking on a red-zone run as bodies awkwardly crumpled his leg in a scrum.
Although the season ended prematurely and Dell could have provided a boost to the AFC South champions, the Florida native still set a franchise rookie record with seven touchdown catches. He finished with 47 receptions for 709 yards.
It was an encouraging workout for Dell with Diamond.
āItās his first day back, we just worked on a lot of plyometrics to get the ankle back right, nothing too major,ā Diamond said. āWe donāt want to overdo it. He was silent stretching and ready to work. Wed did single leg explosive work to make sure the ankle is where he needed it to be. Ankle looked stable. Everything was smooth.ā
Dell put on a show as a rookie, delivering a series of dynamic performances in a potent passing connection with Stroud.
Although relatively undersized at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, Dell excelled through a combination of crisp route running skills, body control and speed.
Now, Dell is working on achieving another quality: patience.
āI just feel that was a test run for me,ā Dell said. āI had a lot more to display, but God puts you through things for a reason. So I just kept my head up. I know the years to come are going to be special here. Itās going to be good.ā
The Texans, one year removed from a 3-13-1 season under former coach Lovie Smith, finished 11-8 under coach DeMeco Ryans and won the division title for the first time since the 2019 season. They won a playoff game over the Cleveland Browns before falling in the AFC divisional round to the Baltimore Ravens.
āItās been great seeing the guys accomplish so much,ā Dell said. āSo many people sold us short this year. We wanted more, but thatās just a steppingstone, a starting point, to what weāre going to be in the future.ā
When Dell got hurt, he was in the hospital to undergo surgery to repair the damage to his leg. During that time of his convalescence, he was visited or got messages from multiple teammates.
āTank is my brother,ā Stroud said. āI donāt think blood can make us any closer. I think it shows on the field, and weāre going to build on that. It happens naturally. Weāre boys. You donāt force stuff with your boy. Weāre both tremendously excited to keep this going and work hard to be great.ā
Dell has an infectious personality and a love for the game. Heās wide open on his routes because of his ability to convincingly sell a route.
Now, itās time for a comeback.
āGod gives his strongest soldiers the toughest battles, so it made me grow a lot and made me sit back and really dedicate my whole life to playing football,ā Dell said. āIt showed me how much I need this sport. This is what keeps me going. This is my blessing in life, I feel like, just to be out here and put smiles on other peopleās faces. The fans, the coaches, my teammates.ā
The bond that Dell and Stroud built together is a strong one.
Theyāre counting on each other to manufacture an even better season together after engineering a turnaround last year.
āThat came to fruition, so weāre just trying to keep going,ā Dell said. āEverybody knows the end goal is the Super Bowl. So from this day forward, itās what weāre working toward.ā
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.