The Houston Texans wide receiver room suddenly looks crowded, with Tank Dell set to play for the first time since 2024 when he suits up on Sunday against the New York Giants.
"I expect Tank just to be himself and just play the offense the right way," coach DeMeco Ryans said on Monday, via the team's official transcript. "No huge expectations from what he needs to do. We're all just going to be excited. I know me personally, I'm just going to be excited to see him just out there for the first time in over two years, just getting some game action. I'm just thankful, grateful for him to have this opportunity to return. I don't have any expectations. I'm just happy to see him out there and that's the only thing that matters."
Sunday will mark Dell's first game since Dec. 21, 2024, when he suffered multiple torn ligaments and a dislocated kneecap in the Texans' loss to Kansas City. The 2023 third-round pick sat out all of 2025 due to the injury.
The Texans slowly ramped up Dell's practice work in previous weeks, wary of overloading him too soon after missing so much time. Returning for a smattering of reps before a Week 8 bye gives Houston a chance to ease him into the rotation in his first game in more than 670 days.
Ryans knows the shifty wideout will add a different element to the Texans' passing attack.
"As we all know, Tank is an explosive player," he said. "He's still quick as ever. As our defenders who was covering him the past couple weeks, he's been putting us in some tough matchups and practice the past two weeks. I expect him to go out on Sunday and do the same thing. Really stress defenders and that's what Tank is going to do with his speed, his playmaking ability. He's going to stress defenders and you add them in a mix with all of the other guys that we have. We just have a really good group of guys, a lot of guys who are capable of making big time explosive plays for us."
The Texans receiver room is suddenly crowded. Nico Collins is healthy and remains a go-to target as a big-bodied matchup nightmare for opponents. Second-year receiver Jaylin Noel is coming off the best game of his career (first 100-yarder). Houston traded for Marvin Harrison Jr., who, despite running just eight routes, was targeted four times in his first game (three catches, 34 yards). Kayshon Boutte remains a veteran threat. Xavier Hutchinson provides depth.
Now, Dell returns to round out the group.
Ryans believes the unit's interchangeability will make the offense harder for defenses to contain.
"Those guys can move around to a lot of different spots," he said. "No one is just stuck in one particular position. Our coaches do a great job of moving them around. Everybody is versatile. We have a lot of different plays for different guys. We try to get as many guys touches as possible. That allows [Offensive Coordinator] Coach [Nick] Caley to mix it up really well with his play calls and set guys up to get opportunities to get the football ...
"Another thing I'm proud of with our receivers, is they do a great job of the contested catches. Marvin getting his first catch with us yesterday. The first one was a tough, contested catch over the middle. I just like how our guys are playing tough, as well as getting the explosive plays."
Starting the season at 2-4, things are looking up for Houston, with tilts against the Giants, Chargers, Browns, and Colts on tap.
