As I mentioned in past articles, the Houston Texans 2023 season should be made into a movie script. Only the writers out of Hollywood could script something that could leave fans in awe. After the 2019 NFL season, drama with former quarterback Deshaun Watson, and terrible transaction moves from former GM & head coach Bill O’Brien, dark days forecasted for the Texans for years to come.
Luckily for the city of Houston and their football fans, the Football Gods shine their blessings upon them. Owners Cal & Hannah McNair made the intelligent move of hiring GM Nick Caserio from New England after the firing of Bill O’Brien. Two years and coaches later, Nick Caserio & the McNair’s collectively brought in former Texans Linebacker Demeco Ryans to be the new head coach of the Houston Texans. With the face of the front office filled, the next obstacle was building a roster to rebuild the franchise.
A complete rebuild is never an easy task for any NFL team, but GM Nick Caserio and HC Demeco Ryans was up to the challenge. To jumpstart the rebuild the front office needed to excel in the 2023 NFL Draft. Boy did they ever, by drafting QB CJ Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. with the number 2 & 3 overall picks. Those weren’t the best part for the rebuild, with the 69th overall pick, Texans selected receiver from University of Houston Tank Dell. Texans front office was scrutinized for the pick by experts due to Dell’s size and measurements, “Too small of a receiver to be a starter in the NFL.” Tank Dell did not listen to the chatter as the play of the field did the talking for him.
Tank Dell and CJ Stroud developed a relationship quickly and their on-the-field play proved it. In eleven games Dell racked up 47 catches, 709 yards, 15.1 yards per catch, and 7 touchdowns. Tank Dell’s trajectory would make him one of the best rookie receivers in NFL history. Dell was on track to end the season with 1,161 yards, 11 Touchdowns, and 76 catches, unfortunately in week thirteen against the Denver Broncos, Tank Dell suffered a fractured fibula. The injury halted Dell’s impressive rookie year and sidelined Dell for the remainder of the season.
Tank Dell went to surgery on December 4th, 2023 to repair the injured fibula. A couple of months later, Dell was back in the gym rehabbing the injured leg. Trainer Justin Allen was surprised by his recovery time, “He’s feeling good. He’s getting back to where he left off. We’ve been working on balance, stability, and explosive movements that he’s used to doing. He looks good. We do exercises, band work, stability work, isometric holds, a bunch of depth drops to get him used to absorbing force, and a lot of core work involving stability.”
Tank Dell shocked many people with how fast he returned to the practice field. We interviewed Dell’s private receiver coach Delfonte Diamond and had this to say, ““To be honest with you, he hasn’t lost a beat. He looks like he gained speed, instead of losing some.” Diamond predicted Dell to be ready for OTA’s and training camp that was scheduled for mid-summer. Little did we know, that almost did not happen.
On April 27th, Tank Dell was back home in Florida attending a private party at Cabana Live in Sanford. In the late hours, the party became disastrous, as a fight turned into a shootout, causing Tank Dell to be shot in the leg. Texans reported the injury was a “small wound” with the following statement, “[Dell] has been released from the hospital and he is in good spirits,” the Texans said. “We are in contact with him and his family and will provide more updates when appropriate but ask that you please respect his privacy at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in the incident.” Dell recovered from the shooting back in Houston and promised to come back from the injury with a fire.
With OTA’s and training camp arriving, Tank Dell was healthy enough to participate. All the media covering the Texans at the camps were in shock and awe at how great Dell looked. Many would believe Dell did not get shot or had surgery on his fibula because of how impressive Dell looked. Training Camp finally opened to the public and fans were in disbelief as well with the media. Our own Ruben Gamez attended camp and stated, “Dell is a force to be reckoned with. [Dell] could be the best receiver on the Texans.” Fans were so hyped for the return of Tank Dell, that one tattooed Dell’s signature on his leg.
After months of waiting, fans finally get to witness some starters playing in a preseason game. Dell was one of the starters that started against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday night. Tank and CJ did not disappoint the fans and seem to be on the same page as last year, hooking up for an early 34-yard touchdown. The touchdown would be Dell’s only catch of the night but that would be the only one needed to let the NFL world know, that Dell is back!
Tank Dell’s recovery from both the 2023 fibula injury and being shot is no short of amazing. How fast Dell recovered from both is viewed as amazing, but even more amazing is the fact Tank seems to be faster and stronger on the field. The crew from Texans Fan Battle predicts an All-Pro season from Tank. Be sure to tune in Wednesday at 8 PM Central to recap the Steelers game and speak about the upcoming preseason game!
