HOUSTON – Inside the Texans training facility, Tank Dell has become a fixture as he works overtime to recover from a devastating and complicated knee injury.
Dell suffered a gruesome knee injury in December and has already undergone two successful surgical procedures as part of the repairs needed to deal with extensive damage to his left knee suffered while catching a touchdown pass against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Dell had his anterior cruciate ligament repaired with a reconstruction procedure. The previous repairs of his lateral collateral ligament and medial collateral ligament were performed by Dr. Walter Lowe and the veteran doctor did this procedure, too, per sources.
Although it’s going to be an extremely long road back and Dell is expected to miss the 2025 season, the former University of Houston standout is expected to eventually make a full recovery, per sources, and have the opportunity to resume his career at some point, likely by the 2026 season. Dell dislocated his entire knee, too, in addition to tearing three knee ligaments.
The outlook for the season for the former University of Houston standout is undetermined, and Texans general manager Nick Caserio was noncommittal on when Dell might return to play again. He did emphasize that Dell is diligently working at his recovery and making improvements.
“Making progress,” Caserio said Wednesday at NRG Stadium. “Try not to put any timetables on it because none of us are doctors, I’m certainly not smart enough to be a doctor. So, when they’re ready, they’re ready. Once they give us the information, then we’ll adjust accordingly.
“But he’s had a good attitude. He’s been in here, honestly, probably seen him every day. So, he’s in good spirits. He’s working hard. So, you take it one day at a time and you know when he’s ready, he’s ready.’
The outlook for Dell as far as when he might be able to return is uncertain, but the team is optimistic about how his recovery is proceeding. Dell is off crutches and has been attending Houston Rockets basketball games with his best friend, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Seeing Dell’s determination and positive attitude has been significant for Texans coach DeMeco Ryans.
“He’s doing well in the process,” Ryans said at the NFL scouting combine. “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.
“I’m excited about that. That allows me to know he’s headed in the right direction of recovery. Now, how far, when he’s coming back it’s too soon to talk about that right now For Tank, and that’s what I care about most, when he gets back, he gets back. Whenever the recovery process deems he’ll be back, he’ll be back. I’m more concerned about the young man and him doing well, and he’s in great spirits.”
Before the Texans’ AFC wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Texans players wore shirts, designed by Bruce Thompson of Dreamathon, with images of Dell on the front. Dell faces a long journey to recovery. He has posted several messages on social media with a heart emoji wrapped in a bandage, signifying his status.
Dell attended the Chargers game and was joined by fellow injured wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who was also lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and then signed with the New England Patriots on a three-year, $69 million deal.
And their presence provided inspiration for their teammates.
“It’s always special to have your brothers in there,” Stroud said after the Chargers game. “I’ve grown really close with Stef over this year. He texted me before the game and just gave me a whole bunch of motivation and said he was praying for me, and I appreciate that for real. I’ve been around Tank all the time, even now. It was good to see him back smiling, around with guys on the sideline, everybody saying what’s up to him.
“I think that was good for him and his spirit. Keep him in your prayers and keep uplifting him, because it’s a hard time for both of them right now. I hope they were smiling a little bit as we were playing. I think their careers are long, long from anything to being done. This is just another bump in the road, and they’re two of the best receivers I played with for real. They remind me of the guys I played with at Ohio State. I’m honored to have friends and brothers like that.”
Dell suffered a season-ending injury while catching a pass in the back of the end zone when teammate Jared Wayne collided with his leg.
His outlook to play next season, due to the timing of the injury and the severity and multitude of the damage that will require more than one surgical procedure to repair all is regarded as the most unlikely scenario. Dell has a long, grueling road of recovery ahead of him.
“This is a much more difficult recovery than just an ACL, it’s a knee dislocation with three of four major ligaments torn and it’s a long road back,” former 17-year NFL team head doctor David Chao, an orthopedic surgeon and the owner of Sports Injury Central, a website that analyzes sports injuries, told KPRC 2 in a telephone interview. “Unfortunately, it has to be considered career threatening, but we all hope not career-ending. Surgery is usually staged with this severe an injury. Whatever you can repair, you repair now, the MCL and LCL. The ACL is typically a reconstruction and you delay that until later when swelling goes down and there’s more mobility.
“A typical recovery timetable, it would be great if he could participate at some point next season, but it’s far from guaranteed he will play at any point next season. It’s similar to what happened with Browns running back Nick Chubb. They’re both knee dislocations, but not all knee dislocations are the same. This is a much more complicated surgery process than an isolated ACL and, as such, it’s going to be multiple surgeries and lots of follow-up. As much as this is a devastating injury, Nick Chubb did return to play his next season. Let’s hope for a similar good outcome for Tank Dell.”
It was a terrible setback for Dell, who traveled back to Houston after being treated and released from the University of Kansas Medical Center trauma unit.
Dell wrote on social media in an exchange with former NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco: ‘I’ll be back.’
Ryans declined to elaborate on whether Dell will be able to play football next season.
“Yeah, Tank, he’s still going along through the process of recovering and healing,” Ryans said. “He’s in great spirits. That’s the main thing about Tank. He’s got a smile on his face while he’s going through the rehab process. So, he’s headed there. In due time, he’ll be back.”
The knee injury marked the latest adversity for Dell, 25, whose dynamic rookie season last year was ended prematurely by a broken fibula that required surgery to repair the damage. Months later, Dell was the victim of a gunshot wound in his leg during a mass shooting in Florida while attending a party as an innocent bystander.
Dell posted a broken heart on social media as well as an inspirational video on TikTok with the caption: “When you want something so bad, you got a different attachment to it.” with the hashtag #noretreatnosurrender.
“It’s not easy to see your brother go down like that,” said Stroud, who considers Dell his best friend. “It’s not easy. I think everybody saw how hard I took it. There’s not a lot to say, but this isn’t the end for him. This is just another bump in the road. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel. I think just for people to give Tank a little space right now and just pray for him from afar.
“Let him go through this because the worst thing that you want to hear is everything’s going to be okay and all those types of things. Clearly, he doesn’t want to hear that. He needs to hear the truth. It’s not easy, but I’m going to be here for him and that’s my brother through thick and thin, through life. I’m going to be here for him.”
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Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
