Tank Dell is closing in on his first game in almost 22 months. The Houston Texans receiver was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice for the first time since the knee injury he suffered on December 21, 2024, against Kansas City, and general manager Nick Caserio said earlier in the day that a return could come as soon as Sunday’s game against Jacksonville in London.
“He’s trending, unless he has a setback, he’s trending in the right direction. Whether it’s this week or next week,” Caserio said during his Wednesday morning interview with Seth Payne and Sean Pendergast on Houston radio.
From limited to full
Houston opened Dell’s 21-day practice window last week, and he was limited in his first sessions back. He did not practice on Friday and was ruled out of the Week 5 win over the Tennessee Titans, so Wednesday’s full workload is the clearest sign yet that his knee is handling the ramp-up.
The clock matters, too. Once that window opened, the Texans had 21 days to add Dell to the active roster or leave him on injured reserve for the rest of the season. That lines up with Caserio’s timeline: either Sunday at Wembley against the Jaguars or the following week against the New York Giants.
The long road back
Dell tore the ACL, MCL and LCL and dislocated his left knee when a teammate collided with him at the back of the end zone in that Week 16 loss to the Chiefs. The injury required more than one operation and cost him the entire 2025 season. It was the second major injury of his young career, after a broken leg ended his rookie year in December 2023.
Before the knee injury, the 2023 third-round pick had 98 catches for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first 25 NFL games.
A crowded receiver room
Dell would be coming back to a very different group. Houston traded for Marvin Harrison Jr. last weekend, and DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday that Harrison will play in London. Nico Collins, who was limited on a rest day Wednesday, still leads the room, with Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel and Kayshon Boutte also in the mix.
Adding Dell’s speed to Collins and Harrison would give C.J. Stroud the deepest set of receivers he has had in Houston, at a time when the Texans are trying to climb out of a 1-4 start.
Caserio on Stroud’s contract
In the same interview, Caserio said he has not shut the door on resuming contract talks with Stroud and agent David Mulugheta during the season, even if the matter ends up waiting for the offseason. Stroud has two years left on his deal, including the fifth-year option Houston picked up in May, after the two sides talked during the offseason without reaching an agreement.
“We always have an open-door policy so if there’s a conversation to be had, great,” Caserio said. “If we want to continue (talks), no problem. If not, it’s something that we’ll address or handle in the offseason.”
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