During the Houston Texans' Week 16 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs last season, wide receiver Tank Dell suffered one of the most gruesome injuries of the season. Dell suffered a torn ACL and a dislocated kneecap after catching a 30-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud.
CJ Stroud connects with Tank Dell for a 30-yard touchdown
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Following the injury, Dell has undergone multiple major surgeries to repair his ACL, MCL, and LCL. However, he still has some minor procedures that must be done before he can return to the field. That said, head coach DeMeco Ryans provided an update on Dell's health on Monday during an appearance at the River Oaks Country Club.
According to Cole Thompson of Texans Wire, Ryans said, "Tank is doing great, he's in good spirits, he's on the road to recovery." He added, "He'll be back when it's time for Tank to be back. There's nothing to rush. There's no set timeline or 'we need him back by a certain date."
DeMeco Ryans Provides Sobering Update on Tank Dell
While Ryans' comments aren't exactly what fans want to hear, they are to be expected. This is not Dell's first time suffering a major injury to his left leg. As a rookie, he sustained a broken fibula late in the season. Therefore, sustaining a second catastrophic injury to the same leg not even a year later made a speedy recovery highly unlikely.
Given Dell's uncertain timeline, Houston drafted Iowa State receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to help fill in during Dell's absence. Though replacing the explosiveness the 25-year-old has brought to the table during his first two seasons will be difficult, the former college teammates already know how to work off of each other.
As a result, it should be easier for them to transition and find open space for Stroud to get them the ball.
Nevertheless, Texans fans will continue to hope for a more positive update as the season approaches.