Everything Texans WR Tank Dell Said Ahead of His Long-Awaited Return

The Houston Texans are finally going to be getting fan-favorite wide reciever Tank Dell back in the lineup this weekend against the New York Giants.

After a long, near two-year recovery process after Dell had first suffered his devastating knee injury in December of 2024, the time has finally come for the wideout to get back on the field in Week 7, and catch some passes from C.J. Stroud as one of his top playmakers in this offense.

And ahead of Dell's long-awaited return to the field, he fielded some questions from the media a few days out from the Texans' Week 7 contest against the Giants.

Let's take a look at seven quotes from Dell leading up to him officially suiting up for this weekend's matchup.

How He's Feeling Ahead of Week 7 Return

Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (1) walks on the sideline during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Wednesday, Dell was first asked about how he's feeling in the days ahead of his first time back on an NFL field in nearly two years. And overall, he's seemingly not feeling too overwhelmed. Above all, he's feeling a lot of gratitude.

"First off, I'm blessed. I want to thank God for getting me back in this position," Dell said. "I don't think I'm overwhelmed. A lot of people have been hitting me up, but I don't think I'm overwhelmed. I'm anxious, of course."

"It's been two years— well, dang near two years— but I don't think I'm overwhelmed. I'm anxious to get back out there and play some football, but I'm blessed, man. That's all I can say."

What His Expectations Are for Sunday

Dec 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (3) walks off the field after the game against the Miami Dolphins at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Texans won't be setting any crazy expectations for Dell this weekend, and neither will Dell himself. Of course, his competitive drive will continue to have a nose to make plays, but he's looking to live in the moment more than anything.

"Go out there and have fun, man. First game back, I'm just trying to go out there and have fun," Dell said of his expectations.

"Of course, y'all know I'm competitive, so I want to make some plays. A lot of plays. But my main thing is just to live in that moment, be where my feet are, have fun, fly around and just try to be who I am. Not try— be who I am.

How He Envisions His First Catch

Oct 11, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws a pass during pre-game warmups against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stroud is going to find Dell to make a play at some point over the course of Week 7's game against the Giants. But how does Dell envision that first catch going?

No matter how big of a play that catch ends up being, he's sure to have a pretty passionate celebration.

"I don't care if the first catch is two yards, five yards, I'm spiking the ball. I'm doing what I got to do, man," Dell said.

"It's going to feel good. I know there's a lot of questions about how I'm going to look when I get tackled. I don't care about none of that. I'm ready to get tackled. I'm going to be joyful. Y'all are going to see the passion I have after I have that first catch."

How the Recovery Process Changed Him as a Person

Dec 14, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (3) walks on the field talking to teammates before the Texans play against the Arizona Cardinals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dell has been stuck on the Texans' sidelines for over 650 days now, including throughout all of the 2025 season. And such a traumatic experience is bound to have a huge impact on anyone more than just what happens on the football field.

As to how the injury recovery process changed Dell as a person, it taught him how to truly live in the moment.

"It just made me live in the moment and be grateful for everything," Dell said of what his recovery taught him. "People say that repetitively all the time, but when you actually go through it and have to be the one who pulls yourself out of it, I feel like it makes you grateful and thankful that it could have been way worse, even though it was a crazy, traumatic incident."

"There are people out here going through things way worse than me. I got injured in a football game, but somebody else is fighting for their life for real. It's just about being grateful and thankful to be where I'm at, man, and having fun."

On Whether He Had Doubts About Playing Again

Dec 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans reacts after an injury to wide receiver Tank Dell (not pictured) during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

After Dell first went down with his knee injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024, there were serious questions regarding whether or not the Texans' wideout would ever be able to play in an NFL game ever again.

Fast forward to this week, and Dell has defied those odds. But did he have any doubts himself about being able to make it through the long journey back? It certainly doesn't seem like it.

"I think I made a post a couple of days after it happened where I said, 'I'm going to be back.' In my mind, it was never a question of whether I was going to be back," Dell said. "Of course, throughout the process, you question yourself, but you have to have faith in God. I never doubted that I was going to work myself back to being able to get on the field."

"I already knew I was going to put in whatever work I had to put in. Even on the days when I woke up and didn't feel like doing anything, I still gave it my all, came in here and did everything. I was in the facility every day throughout the year and offseason. I was just making sure I put my best foot forward to come back and play football."

How He Feels About the Texans' WR Room

Sep 27, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) during halftime against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Compared to the last time that Dell took the field alongside the Texans' offense, today's wide receiver room in Houston is looking a whole lot different than it did then. No Stefon Diggs, no Jared Wayne, but guys like Kayshon Boutte, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jaylin Noel have been brought into the mix.

And while on one hand, it puts Dell in an offense with a lot of mouths to feed, he's confident that in a deep wide receiver room like this one, getting everyone involved and making plays will allow everyone's energy to feed off one another.

"I think it's great, Dell said of the Texans' wide receiver room. "If you look back at last year, we had a lot of receivers and tight ends down in a big game. Just having more guys in the room who can go out there and make a play helps us.

"We feed off each other's energy and making plays, and I feel like we're competitive. If I see Nico make a play, in a non-selfish way, I want to go out there and make a play, too. I'm going to be happy for him, and I want to go out there and make a play. It's the same with Marvin, Kayshon, Hutch, J-Noel, everybody."

"It's exciting to have that type of room. The cream is going to rise to the top. If you're a competitor and know how you can play football, just have fun doing it. Don't be selfish or look at it as a bad thing. When there are blessings in the neighborhood, you'll get blessed, too. Just go out there, work hard and make the play when the ball comes."

How He's Picturing the Fans' Reaction on Sunday

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Fans before the Houston Texans play the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Given that the Texans are going to be back at home for Dell's long-awaited return, there's no doubt that all of Reliant Stadium will be fired up the second they see their fan-favorite wideout run out of the tunnel for his first game back since 2024.

And so of course, Dell has no doubts that the environment on Sunday will be unmatched.

I feel like they're going to go crazy. I'm excited for that, too. That's what I'm saying — fill the stadium up, please," Dell said. "It's great to have that support from Houston, getting drafted by the Texans and being part of this organization. It's a beautiful organization, the same with the University of Houston. I feel like I'm a Florida boy, but, like I said before, I feel like this is home for me, too."

"It's great, and I know it's going to be a great feeling when I run out of the tunnel."

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