HOUSTON -- Wideout Tank Dell made his return to the practice field for the Houston Texans on Wednesday.
Dell participated in a limited capacity, but it marked the first time he has engaged in any sort of team padded practice since December 2024. He caught a few passes from quarterback C.J. Stroud during individual drills and ran full-speed routes, but that concluded his involvement for the morning.
"Tank is on the right plan," coach DeMeco Ryans said, as the team progresses Dell slowly to make sure he's ready for 11-on-11 contact reps.
"Nothing's changed in his plan. We're progressing him on really well. We expect him to just continue to progress with how he's feeling," Ryans said.
"There's no set way of doing it. It'll be based on how he's feeling. We'll do the right thing by Tank and make sure we approach it the right way. Take care of him the right way, so he can be feeling confident when he steps back out there for team drills."
The third-round pick from 2023 missed all of 2025 after he suffered multiple torn ligaments and a dislocated kneecap in the Texans' Week 16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024. The injury happened on a touchdown catch from Stroud when wideout Jared Wayne collided with his knee.
Dell's surgery repaired other ligaments that were torn in the knee shortly after the injury, and he had a second surgery in March 2025 to repair his torn ACL.
Significant injuries have piled up for Dell as his rookie season was cut short because of a broken leg in an early December game against the Denver Broncos in 2023. He also was shot in late April 2024 at an event in Sanford, Florida, where authorities said a teenage gunman injured 10 people after an altercation. Dell went to the hospital, but his wounds were deemed minor.
In 25 career games, Dell has 1,376 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
