SI

DeMeco Ryans Confirms Tank Dell Ruled Out for Season With Gruesome Knee Injuries

The Texans will be without their star receiver for the remainder of 2024—and possibly more.

Tom Dierberger

Dell caught 51 passes for 667 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games this season.
Dell caught 51 passes for 667 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games this season. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Houston Texans officially will be without Tank Dell for the remainder of the 2024 NFL season.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters Monday that Dell suffered a dislocated knee cap and a torn ACL, among other damage, to his left leg. He will undergo season-ending surgery in the near future.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport added that given the timing of the Week 16 injury, Dell's availability to be ready for Week 1 of the 2025 season is in doubt.

Dell suffered the injury after making an incredible 30-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter of Houston's 27–19 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. An ambulance drove onto the field to transport him to a nearby hospital, where he spent Saturday night.

Dell was released from the hospital on Sunday and traveled back to Houston.

It's the second season-ending injury Dell has sustained in his two years in the NFL. As a rookie in 2023, Dell suffered a fractured fibula in Week 13 and missed the Texans' final three games. He also was wounded in a shooting in Florida this spring but worked his way back and was ready to suit up by Week 1.

The Texans have had unfortunate injury luck with their star-studded wide receiver corps, as Stefon Diggs sustained a season-ending ACL tear in October, Nico Collins missed five weeks with a hamstring issue, and now Dell will miss Houston's final two regular-season games and playoff run.

More of the Latest Around the NFL

feed

Published
Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

Home/NFL