Tank Dell is out for the rest of the year. The rookie phenom was blazing a trail through all of the rookie receiving records and was on the heels of toppling Andre Johnson's rookie stats. Johnson, long held as the best receiver in team history, also had one of the best rookie seasons by a receiver in club history.
Dell fell just short of breaking the rookie record for most yards in a season, finishing the season third among all Texans receivers, just behind the No. 1 player Johnson and No. 2 player DeAndre Hopkins. Now Dell will be the player who had the third most yards among all Texans receivers historically. Until some other rookie comes in and knocks him down a spot
Losing Dell didn't just curtail Dell's quest for glory and immortality, however, it also severely affected the offense of the Texans as well. Dell was part of a three-headed beast that gave C.J. Stroud all he needed to survive. Dell, Nico Collins, and Noah Brown made up a trio of Texans receivers that were punishing the league but with Dell out, that all changes. So what can fans expect from this unit going forward?
1. More Robert Woods
If you didn't realize that Robert Woods was on the Texans this season, no one would blame you. The former Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl winner is a shell of what he once was. And despite starting nine of 10 possible games, he's fifth in receiving yards. He's also only found the end zone once all year. The Texans are going to see more of him going forward this season, even if he's past his prime.
2. More Dalton Schultz in the end zone
With the Texans losing their top-scoring receiver, the Texans may not have as many big-play touchdowns, and that means that the team will likely have more red zone opportunties. That's where Dalton Schultz, the former Dallas Cowboys tight end, comes into play. The Texans will likely rely on him heavily in certain situations, at least more so than they would previously.
3. Running the ball just a bit more...Hopefully
DeMeco Ryans isn't great at balancing the run and pass. Nor has he been great with figuring out what running back should start (Devin Singletary) and which one shouldn't play (Dameon Pierce). And while some want to point out what Pierce did last year, that's irrelevant. This year, Pierce has been bad, flat-out terrible. Singletary, however, has been fantastic. With Dell not around to lean on, hopefully, Ryans realizes that C.J. Stroud needs help and leans a bit more on Singletary going forward.