Houston Texans Receive Major Injury Update On Tank Dell

Houston Texans wideout Tank Dell has a long road ahead of him as he recovers from a gruesome knee injury he suffered in December of 2024. He is moving forward, though.

Jan 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (3) walks on the field with crutches prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell is continuing his long road to recovery after suffering a terrible knee injury in December of 2024.

Dell was hurt in Houston's 27-19 regular season loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on December 21 while catching a touchdown pass. It was a gruesome injury that left him with a dislocated knee, torn ACL, torn MCL, torn LCL and meniscus damage.

Dell has already undergone one surgery on the knee earlier this year (to repair his LCL and MCL), and now Aaron Wilson is reporting that the young wide receiver is set to go under the knife again. He's having surgery on Wednesday to repair his ACL now.

#Texans wide receiver Tank Dell undergoing surgery today to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament. Previously, Dr. Walter Lowe repaired his lateral collateral and medial collateral ligaments torn in December game at Arrowhead Stadium. Road to recovery continues @KPRC2

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 5, 2025

Dell is expected to miss the entirety of the 2025 season due to these injuries but the hope in Houston is obviously that he'll be able to come back and make a full recovery for 2026.

The problem? Dell has been in the NFL for two seasons since the Texans selected him out of Houston in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. His rookie season was cut short by a broken fibula that required surgery, and now he's dealing with this in year two.

Dell has shown tremendous talent and potential while healthy, but the fear in Houston has to be that his career may never fully get off the ground. That hasn't caused the wideout to sulk, though.

“He’s doing well in the process,” head coach DeMeco Ryans said at the 2025 NFL scouting combine, according to Wilson. “I just start with his mindset. Seeing Tank around the building the past couple of weeks, seeing the shift in his mindset, seeing renewed energy, seeing Tank being the Tank that everyone knows with a smile, just excited about the recovery process."

Recovery will absolutely be a process for Dell, and this surgery is just the next step down that long road.