Texans WR Tank Dell Returns to Limited Practice After Missing 2025 Season
Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell participated in limited individual drills on Wednesday, his first padded practice since December 2024. Dell caught passes from C.J. Stroud during the session but did not advance to team drills. Coach DeMeco Ryans said progression will be paced based on how Dell feels, with no set timeline for full participation.
Tank Dell returned to padded practice with the Houston Texans on Wednesday for the first time since December 2024, marking the start of his recovery from multiple knee surgeries that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season, according to ESPN's reporting.
Dell's involvement in the session was circumscribed: he caught a few passes from quarterback C.J. Stroud during individual drills and ran full-speed routes, then concluded his participation for the morning. The session represented incremental progress on a timeline the team is managing deliberately.
Coach DeMeco Ryans said Dell is progressing as planned. "Tank is on the right plan," Ryans told ESPN. "Nothing's changed in his plan. We're progressing him on really well." The coach added that the team is advancing Dell slowly in order to prepare him for 11-on-11 contact reps, with progression determined by how Dell himself feels and no predetermined schedule for advancing to team situations.
Dell's knee injury occurred on December 15, 2024, during a Week 16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The injury came on a touchdown catch from Stroud when wideout Jared Wayne collided with Dell's knee, tearing multiple ligaments and dislocating his kneecap. A second surgery in March 2025 repaired a torn ACL, according to ESPN. Dell is a third-round pick from the 2023 draft.
In 25 career games, Dell has accumulated 1,376 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, though his professional tenure has been interrupted repeatedly: a broken leg in December 2023 ended his rookie season early, and he suffered minor injuries in a shooting incident in Sanford, Florida, in late April 2024, per ESPN's reporting.
The source does not provide a functional timeline for his return to 11-on-11 drills or game availability, nor does it clarify the parameters the medical staff will use to clear him for successive stages of participation. Ryans described the progression as contingent on Dell's subjective comfort rather than objective physical testing milestones.
Tank Dell returned to limited practice Wednesday after missing the entire 2025 season following multiple knee surgeries (torn ligaments, dislocated kneecap, torn ACL) sustained in a Week 16 collision during the 2024 season.
Dell's gradual integration suggests the Texans are cautious about his knee integrity given the severity and multiple surgeries involved. What to watch: whether his participation expands week-to-week in practice, and whether the team commits to any target date for game availability before the season begins. The absence of a formal timeline leaves Houston's depth at receiver unclear for 2026.
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