The wait for Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell continues.
KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson noted that it is currently “not the plan” to have Dell back following Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys, the earliest he can return. Moreover, Wilson said Dell will not return “unless he can run at speed they want him to run at.”
None of that is new from Wilson or the Texans. However, the insider did provide a rather dour outlook for Dell.
“It is a serious injury, and he is not there yet, and they also don’t have a home for him at this point with the other receivers they have up. They’ve given us no timeline,” Wilson said during a live stream on October 2. “I’ve checked on this. It’s not imminent. I can tell you that. If it happens–if it happens–it’s later in the season.”
Dell has not played since Week 16 of the 2024 season.
During the portion of the livestream that I watched (around 20:50), Wilson answered a
He was a top target for Texans quarterback and draft classmate C.J. Stroud. However, the Texans have since added Kayshon Boutte (who replaces injured 2025 second-round pick Jayden Higgins in the lineup) and Jaylin Noel since Dell last played.
They still have Nico Collins at the top of the pecking order. Bigger-bodied targets Xavier Hutchinson and Jared Wayne have also earned more opportunities in Dell’s absence.
That is not to say any of them would play ahead of a fully healthy Dell.
Part of his return process, though, will certainly include rebuilding the on-field chemistry and timing with Stroud and the offense. That is in addition to proving that he is still a superior option to some of his teammates in the passing game.
Dell is also in the final year of his rookie contract. That only adds to the uncertainty around his future with the Texans.
The former Houston Cougars star was supposed to play in the preseason, per DeMeco Ryans.
“We’ve taken our time to kind of ramp them up slowly. So, our first week he was just on the side still, working, just some individual stuff with his position coach at the practice. And now, this past week, he got into routes on air. He got into group install. And yesterday, for the first time, he was able to get in the team drills,” Ryans said on SiriusXM NFL Radio in August.
“We’ll keep giving him a little bit more every day. Planning for him to, hopefully, get out there preseason–in one of these preseason games coming up–and then be ready to go for the season.”
Dell’s quickness looks very impressive for somebody coming off an injury like him.
(🎥: @receiverfactory)
At the time, Ryans noted how proud he was of Dell’s comeback journey. For the situation to go from that sort of optimism to the more dour tones it has taken on now is disappointing.
It is even more so given the kind of boost a healthy Dell could provide the 0-3 Texans.
Instead, they will continue to bide their time without him. Meanwhile, he must continue working to prove he can be the same player he was for the Texans before his latest devastating injury two years ago.
Houston Texans Insider Drops Significant Update on Tank Dell