Houston Texans News & Rumors

Further evaluation of Tank Dell‘s knee injury has not produced an encouaraging update. In addition to the dislocated kneecap he suffered on Saturday, the second-year receiver is dealing with a torn ACL.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans delivered the news Monday, confirming Dell will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. A long rehab process awaits, and remaining on the sidelines into the start of the 2025 campaign would not come as a surprise. In any case, Houston will be notably shorthanded at wideout moving forward.

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Dell went down after a collision with Jared Wayne while scoring a touchdown during the Texans’ loss to the Chiefs. He was immediately taken to hospital and diagnosed with the dislocated kneecap. As Ryans noted on Monday, however, the ACL in the affected knee has been torn in addition to other damage. It was unclear at first if surgery would be required, but obviously that is now the case.

The Texans lost Stefon Diggs earlier this year to an ACL tear of his own, an injury which led to an increased reliance on Dell and top wideout Nico Collins to compensate for his absence. Now, Collins is the lone remaining member of Houston’s lauded WR trio which entered the campaign with high expectations. In the wake of signing a long-term extension this offseason, Collins will be tasked with carrying the load in the passing game as the Texans prepare for the postseason.

The likes of Robert Woods, John Metchie and Xavier Hutchinson are in place as options (alongside Wayne) to fill larger roles down the stretch and through the playoffs. Houston has locked up top spot in the AFC South, but changes in seeding could still take place depending on the team’s final two games. That period will not include Dell, though, an absence which was also felt after he was lost for the year in 2023. Ryans said on Sunday it remains to be seen if the Texans will pursue a late addition at the receiver spot.

Dell’s involvement in the passing game was inconsistent this season, one in which Houston’s offense as a whole has underwhelmed. Still, the 25-year-old managed to record 667 yards and three touchdowns on 51 catches in 2024. Two more years remain on his rookie contract, but it will be quite some time before Dell next takes the field.

Tank Dell remained in hospital overnight on Saturday, but he has rejoined his team. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said on Sunday Dell was set to return to Houston, a positive development in the wake of the frightening knee injury he suffered in Week 16. He has now arrived, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes.

Dell’s knee was hit by teammate Jared Wayne as he made a touchdown catch during the Texans’ loss to the Chiefs. The 25-year-old was taken directly to hospital and diagnosed with a dislocated kneecap. Ryans acknowledged the injury is “signficant,” and surgery could be an option. On that note, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports a procedure has not yet taken place, and it remains to be seen if one will be scheduled.

Given the severity of the situation, Dell is not expected to return to the Texans’ lineup any time soon. His absence will create another notable vacancy at the receiver position given his importance to the team’s passing game. Houston lost Stefon Diggs to a torn ACL in October, creating an increased reliance on Dell and No. 1 wideout Nico Collins over the remainder of the season. The latter is still in place atop the depth chart, but losing Dell for a lengthy stretch would leave quarterback C.J. Stroud without an important target down the stretch.

The Texans did not pursue wideout depth in advance of the trade deadline, relying on their incumbent options to compensate for Diggs’ injury. With Dell now out of the picture for an undetermined period, though, the team’s depth at that position will be tested further. Odell Beckham Jr. had his request to be let go by the Dolphins granted, and he is a free agent after passing through waivers unclaimed. Diontae Johnson‘s time with the Ravens has proven to be short-lived, meanwhile, and interest is expected to be high enough in his case that he will not reach free agency. Houston could look into one or both veterans, but it remains to be seen if that will take place.

“A little early right now for me when it comes to that,” Ryans said (via Florio) when asked whether or not the Texans are interested in making a receiver addition for the stretch run. “But we’re always exploring everything we have to do to improve our team.”

Houston has clinched the AFC South, but the team’s offense has regressed in a number of categories compared to Stroud’s impressive rookie season. Improving in time for the playoffs will be key if the Texans are to advance to at least the divisional round like they did in 2023. Their next game will come against the Ravens on Christmas Day, and it will be interesting to see if any WR-related moves will have been made by that point.

5:55PM: According to an update from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Dell has suffered a dislocated knee cap. Doctors at the hospital Dell was taken to have been working the determine the extent of the damage. Surgery is reportedly on the table, but it has not happened just yet.

Head coach DeMeco Ryans told the media in his postgame interview that Dell’s injury is significant. Ryans was already aware that Dell would need to remain just over the state line in Kansas to stay the night at the University of Kansas Medical Center for further evaluation. He’ll have to rejoin the team at a later date, once stabilized.

2:35PM: The Texans know already that they are headed to the postseason by way of an AFC South title, but it looks like they may be doing so without a two key weapons in the passing game. Already short veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs to a season-ending ACL tear, it looks like Houston will also be without Tank Dell after the second-year wideout suffered what looked to be a serious knee injury in today’s game against the Chiefs, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Dell’s injury comes as an unfortunate result of friendly fire. As Dell caught a 30-yard touchdown in the back of the endzone, practice squad call up Jared Wayne collided with his knee as he dove for the ball, thinking the pass was intended for him. Dell was able to secure the ball with one hand, while his second hand shot immediately to his left knee.

The immediate aftermath was a somber scene as carts rushed out to the endzone and Dell’s teammates huddled around. Dell’s knee was stabilized, and he was carted off the field and, eventually, transported to the hospital. A vacuum splint was used to stabilize his entire left leg. That type of splint is usually used as when a training staff is worried about severe instability or fracture.

If the injury is as serious as it appeared to be, this continues what has been an extremely unfortunate start to Dell’s career. The 25-year-old got off to a hot start as a third-round rookie out of the nearby University of Houston. His impressive rookie campaign was unfortunately cut short when he suffered a fractured fibula that required season-ending ankle surgery. Still, in only 11 games, Dell produced a commendable 47 catches for 709 yards and seven touchdowns. Dell’s recovery took a crazy turn when, early in the offseason, he found himself as a victim in a public mass shooting outside a nightclub in Sanford, Florida.

The compounding injuries did not deter his recovery to the point that he missed any regular season time this year. Dell opened the season with the rest of the Texans, only missing a Week 4 contest due to a chest injury. With Nico Collins handling WR1 duties and the arrival of another star in Diggs, Dell had been operating in a reduced role this year, until Diggs suffered the season-ending injury of his own.

Coming into today, Dell had only one 100-yard receiving day and only two touchdowns on the year. Still, he was second on the team in receiving yards and third on the team in both receptions and receiving touchdowns. When Dell exited today, he was having perhaps the best game of his 2024 campaign. The play that resulted in his early exit left him with six catches for 98 yards and a touchdown on the day. He was on track to record season highs in all three categories today if he had been able to continue.

The Texans passing attack will face a tough task in replacing both Diggs and Dell in the playoffs this January. Collins will continue in his leading role, while John Metchie and Robert Woods will be asked to step up in major ways in the weeks to come.

They’ve got a couple weeks to feel out how their offense will work without Dell. While they can improve their playoff seeding with some wins and some help, they’re guaranteed a home playoff game as (at worst) the fourth seed. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the team playing it extremely safe for the remainder of the season, while Dell will likely need to begin his work getting back to the field in 2025.