One of the breakout stars of the 2023 season was Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. Breaking out along with him were his top receivers, Nico Collins and fellow rookie Tank Dell. A third-round pick out of Houston, Dell stepped into the starting lineup in Week 2, and in 11 games, posted 47 catches for 709 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Unfortunately, he suffered a broken leg while blocking on a goal-line touchdown run during a Week 13 win over the Denver Broncos, cutting his season short just as it seemed like he was really taking his game to the next level. Over the previous four games, Dell had notched receiving lines of 6 catches for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Buccaneers, 6 catches for 56 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals, 8 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals, and 5 catches for 50 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars.
Dell is now on the road to recovery, though, and "It's been going great," the receiver said, per the team's official website. "I've been hitting the road full speed. Great recovery."
Dell's speed and explosiveness are the biggest part of what makes him a good player, so getting him back to going full speed is important. For that, "I'm giving all the props to our training staff and our strength staff," Dell said. "They've been getting me on the right road and I feel like I'm back and ready. I'm waiting on the lights to shine again and just to go out there as a team and go complete the mission."
That's great news for both Dell and the Texans, who are expected to be one of the AFC's top contenders next season after turning over much of their defensive line group, adding Danielle Hunter across from Will Anderson on the edge, and bringing in running back Joe Mixon.
