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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Tank Dell was one of the best stories of the 2023 NFL season.
Drafted in the third round (No. 69 overall) out of Houston, the 5-foot-10 wide receiver quickly became one of the most explosive young players in the league during his rookie year with the Houston Texans.
Across 11 games, he racked up 709 yards and seven touchdowns on 47 receptions, averaging 15.1 yards per catch. He clearly had a strong connection with quarterback C.J. Stroud and looked poised for a breakout — until he broke his fibula in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos, ending his season early.
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Despite that setback, Dell came back strong in 2024 and was ready for Week 1. He played 14 games before suffering another injury, this one far more serious: a dislocated knee with multiple torn ligaments and a torn meniscus. He finished the year with 667 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 51 receptions, averaging 13.1 yards per catch.
That injury forced him to miss the entire 2025 season, and he now hasn't played in a regular-season NFL game since December 2024.
On Wednesday, though, Dell took a major step in his recovery, returning to the practice field for the first time since the injury. He participated in a limited capacity, catching a few passes from Stroud and running full-speed routes — a welcome sight for the 26-year-old wideout.
Speaking after practice, head coach DeMeco Ryans discussed Dell's recovery and how the team plans to bring him back to full speed. "Tank is on the right plan. Nothing's changed in his plan. We're progressing him really well. We expect him to just continue to progress with how he's feeling," Ryans said. "There's no set way of doing it. It'll be based on how he's feeling. We'll do the right thing by Tank and make sure we approach it the right way — take care of him the right way, so he can be feeling confident when he steps back out there for team drills."
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Dell is returning from a serious knee injury that left some wondering whether he'd play again, so the fact that he's on track to suit up for 2026 is a win in itself.
Still, he's entering a contract year, making this a crucial season for him to prove he can still be a difference-maker for a Texans team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
If he's ready to go by Week 1, Dell should fit right back into a receiving corps that already includes Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, and Jaylin Noel — giving Stroud four trusted targets he's built real chemistry with.
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