HOUSTON (AP) — In the days after Tank Dell suffered a gruesome knee injury in December 2024, the Houston Texans receiver wrote down a goal as he faced a daunting road back.
“I want to come back better than where I was,” Dell said Friday.
After missing all last season recovering from a dislocated knee and multiple torn knee ligaments, Dell rejoined the Texans this week in a limited capacity for team drills as he moves closer to his long-awaited return.
“We’re taking our time with Tank, allowing him to come along as he needs to in his time,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “But he’s doing an outstanding job with it. He looked really nice today. Nice and crisp running his routes.”
It was a long and winding road to get back that involved near constant work with Dell saying that he never took a day off, even doing rehabilitation on Sundays. It was a path that taught the 26-year-old an important lesson.
“The patience, man,” he said. “I’ve never in my life sat out for a whole year. So, it was so hard. But at a certain point you have to accept it for what it is and just get to work. So, it was a long journey, but I was patient enough and I’m getting close.”
Dell said once he got healthy, the biggest hurdle in his return to the field was simply trusting that his surgically repaired knee would hold up. A talk with his doctor where he told him that his knee was 100% stable and to just be himself gave him the push he needed to do that.
“The mental aspect is the hardest thing you’ve got to get over,” he said. “So, if I went out there iffy about what I’m doing then I probably would never be able to come back to what I want to be. So, I was out there just trusting it, putting my foot in the ground, trying to be explosive and it’s working in my favor.”
His most recent injury wasn’t the only one Dell has dealt with since the Texans drafted him in the third round in 2023 following a standout career at the University of Houston. His rookie season, where he scored seven touchdowns, was cut short when he broke his leg in Week 13.
Before he was injured again the following season he had developed into a favorite target of quarterback C.J. Stroud and had 51 receptions for 667 yards and three scores.
Dell and Stroud are close friends and the receiver said his friendship during his rehabilitation meant “everything” to him.
“In this long process, he was with me the whole time, from the first day it happened to today,” Dell said. “Long conversations about the future that we want to build with each other on the field. But off the field just being a brother to me.”
Stroud can’t wait to play with Dell again.
“I’m just excited for him to get the peace of mind that he can go play again and be 100% while he’s doing it,” Stroud said.
That may take a bit longer with both Ryans and Dell refusing to directly answer when asked if he’ll be ready for Week 1.
“There’s light at the end of the tunnel,” Dell said. “I’ll be out there, but right now we’re just taking it one day at a time.”
Dell is a fan favorite as well as a favorite among his teammates with everyone rooting for him to put this injury behind him and contribute this season.
“You want to see that comeback story come to life,” Ryans said. “Whenever that happens we’re all going to be joyful for him.”
And when he does make his much-anticipated return Dell has very clear expectations for himself.
“I’m trying to make plays,” he said. “I’m trying to be a big factor on the team.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press
