After 250 days away, Tank Dell was back on the field for the Houston Texans
It’s been a long road to the preseason for Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell. Dell, who burst onto the scene as an emerging star and a fantasy football darling after being selected in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft, is not only looking to build on a stellar rookie campaign, but he’s doing so while coming back from a season-ending fibula fracture AND an offseason shooting.
While it would be easy for Tank Dell to be bitter about the hand he was dealt, it’s clear that as he made his return to the field on Friday night in Houston’s 20-12 preseason win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, he hadn’t been calloused by the experience at all. Instead, Dell has continued to approach the comeback with gratitude and excitement, and it all paid off when he found the end zone on his first reception of the preseason.
From @NFLGameDay Final on @nflnetwork: Welcome back, #Texans WR Tank Dell. The end zone missed you.
“Yeah, I missed it.” pic.twitter.com/RpHUAeVjPD
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 10, 2024
“250 days since I stepped on the field and played an NFL game, so I’m just excited and I’m happy and I’m thankful,” Dell told Garafolo. Just as elated by the prospect of Tank Dell getting back out onto the field as Dell himself is Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, who found an immediate on-field and off-field connection with Dell last year.
“It’s good to see him back out there,” Stroud said after the game on Friday, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “I’m very happy for him. It’s just amazing to see all the stuff he’s been through to persevere through that and make a big-time play. That’s who he is.”
Tank Dell, Texans look to build on successful 2023
After a surprisingly successful 2023 season that concluded with an AFC South title and a Wild Card Round win over the Cleveland Browns, the Texans come into the 2024 season with the luxury of excitement, but with that comes the burden of expectations. CJ Stroud, the NFL’s reigning Rookie of the Year, is expected to make a leap after one of the finest rookie seasons in recent memory. The Texans offense, which added Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon in the offseason, is expected to become one of the NFL’s most elite units. And Tank Dell, the forgotten third man in Houston’s wide receivers room, will come into the season with the expectation of building on a surprisingly productive rookie year.
In just 11 games, Tank Dell hauled in 47 receptions for 709 yards and 7 touchdowns last season. This included three games in which Dell went for at least 100 yards and a touchdown, the same number as Rookie of the Year runner-up Puka Nacua.
Tank Dell may be option #3 in Houston’s wide receivers room as the 2024 season approaches, but his continued growth will be key to Houston’s development as a perennial Super Bowl contender.
