Texans Daily

Texans Sign WR Nathaniel Dell To Rookie Deal

The Houston Texans signed third-round pick Tank Dell to his rookie contract on Tuesday afternoon.

Matt Galatzan

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HOUSTON - The Houston Texans entered the 2023 NFL Draft looking to upgrade a myriad of positions on both sides of the ball. Among the positions that the Texans are rebuilding is at wide receiver, where the team had already traded Brandin Cooks, and added Robert Woods to the roster. 

On Day 2, they did just that, adding another playmaker by trading up and selecting Houston Cougars wide receiver Nathaniel Dell with the No. 69 overall pick. Now, he is officially a Texan, signing his rookie deal with the team on Tuesday. The deal, which is set for four years, will earn Dell $5.8 million.

And after spending his college time with the Cougars, Dell could not be happier to stay home in Houston. 

"I prayed for this, I told all of the coaches, I wanted to be here," Dell said after being picked. "I feel like Houston is my second home. I told them I am ready to get rolling."

Dell should be able to enter the wide receiver rotation immediately for Houston, though with Nico Collins, Robert Woods, John Metchie III and Dalton Schultz all involved now in the passing game, he will have time to develop and learn the system as well. No Matter the competition, however, he hopes to make an impact as soon as he can. 

"I am coming to help win and rebuild the program to get to the level I know we can be at," Dell said. "When I first got to UH, we were rebuilding. I came in and helped flourish the program, and I expect to do the same thing when I step into the organization. Get to the Super Bowl and win championship games — I am going to give everything I got.

"This is all I prayed for since I was five years old. I always told myself I would make the NFL, no matter the critics and doubters."

In three years with the Cougars, Dell had 228 receptions for 3,155 yards and 32 touchdowns, including back-to-back years of over 1,300 yards in 2021 and 2022. In those two seasons, Dell had 29 of his 32 touchdown catches. 

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com