For the first time since his horrific injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in December of the 2024 regular season, Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell has caught a pass in live action in team activities. He did so by way of a slant route on the throw of backup quarterback Davis Mills over the middle of the field that went for a short gain.
This represents a massive step forward in the true on-field return of the diminutive dynamo, as he's been slowly integrated into team activities throughout the course of training camp. The absence of a true return date began to concern certain members of the fan base as of late, who starting to believe that a return of the former UH Cougar would seemingly come much further down the line during the season.
With Dell now officially joining team drills --and making multiple plays at that-- fans can begin to salivate over the immediate implications of having one of the most explosive playmakers on the team returning to action for the beginning of the 2026 campaign.
Tank Dell's return could have a dramatic effect for the Houston Texans early in the season
Last season, the Texans' offense was the primary reason for why the team began in an 0-3 hole after almost the first full month of the season. They averaged roughly 12.7 points per game, with the passing attack contributing an average of about 172 yards per contest. This ranked them no higher than 21st in total receiving yards in the entire NFL per each game played over the course of those initial three games of the campaign.
This was with a wide receiver group comprised of Pro Bowler Nico Collins, the rookie tandem of Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson and newcoming veteran Christian Kirk. Without the gravity and impact of Dell to provide a more potent threat in the aerial game planning, the offense suffered to provide a bigger spark to the rest of the team. In fact, according to StatMuse, the Texans' scoring average nosedived from 23.4 points per game to 18.3 points per game when Dell hasn't been on the field from 2023-2025.
That's not to say that Dell by himself is the sum total of the entire Houston offense. But rather, that this team has sorely missed his unique gifting as a route runner, downfield threat, locker room presence and overall "alpha dog" in his mentality.
Hopefully, this means that Dell is well on his way to suiting up for week one against the Buffalo Bills. If that's the case, then he'll definitely change the mathematics on how dynamic this offense can be early in the ceason. The next step for Dell would then be to make it through a full 17-20 game season.
Until then, let's celebrate his return one play at a time.
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