The X-Factor of Tank Dell

2 of the most electric players in Houston Texans history have been Will Fuller V and Tank Dell. Both wide receiver speedsters. Both a threat to score any time they touched the ball. Both undersized and (so far) unable to remain healthy for a full run at the Houston Texans schedule. Both also elevated the play of their respective quarterbacks when on they were on the field.

Before hearing his name called on draft day by H-Town general manager Nick Caserio, Dell spent the prior 3 years at the University of Houston, where he totaled 3155 yards off 228 catches, 32 touchdowns, a 13.8 yard per reception average over the course of 35 games.

In the run up to the NFL draft, Dell met then-future Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and the 2 rookies-to-be struck up a friendship that grew exponentially at the NFL Draft Combine. Once Stroud was picked by the Texans, he went to work lobbying for Caserio to take Dell, which he did in the 3rd round. The combination immediately paid dividends for the Texans.

Over the course of his time in the NFL, Dell has been shot, recovered and came back stronger, only to suffer a brutal leg injury on a touchdown catch against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 season.

It’s easy to point to that leg injury as (another) down-turn in the career of Stroud also, who is under a ridiculous amount of pressure this off-season due to his recent playoff failures.

Foxnsports.com

When asked after the game how he was able to recover from the heartbreaking scene, Stroud spoke about his faith. 

“All you can do is really pray. At the end of the day, God still gets the glory. Always, no matter what happens to me, I always know that I’m even up here because of the grace of Jesus and the grace of who He is in my life and Tank’s life. For anything how it goes, left or right or up or down, I always have to praise my Lord and Savior.”

Now that Dell has returned from an injury that would have ended lesser careers – again – a lot of people in the know are saying not only is he back, he’s better than ever. The ability to recover from being shot and play NFL ball at a high level speaks volumes to the “size of the dog in the fight”. Coming back better than ever from what could have been a career-ending leg injury even more so.

Not only is Dell one of the quickest receivers in the league, he’s also one of the slipperiest ones with defender after defender losing track of the speedster time and again.

If

• Dell is truly back better than before
• the Texans offensive line is decidedly improved
• David Montgomery can keep the running game on track
• Nick Calley can call a professional quality game

and

• C.J. Stroud can minimize mistakes and find his receivers more often

then this team is a legit Super Bowl contender. Having Dell back isn’t the singular ingredient in getting this offense back on track, but it’s sure a welcome return of a very exciting player who has a heart twice the size of his body.

It wouldn’t be wise to put Dell on the field for tonight’s Houston Texans game against the Chargers, since it’s just week one of the preseason. But, you can bet when Dell and Stroud are on the field together again, if the defense loses Dell, he’s going to make them regret it.

• Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans
• Thursday August 13th
• 7pm
• Reliant Stadium
• Houston Texas