Texans Daily

WATCH: C.J. Stroud to Tank Dell Connection Leads to Texans TD

Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud and rookie receiver Tank Dell are dialing it up early vs. the Jaguars

Matt Galatzan

In this story:

When the Houston Texans selected C.J. Stroud in the 2023 NFL Draft, it would be safe to assume that they expected some big plays from him in the passing game. 

In order to help Stroud in that task, the Texans also took Tank Dell, who was known for his game-breaking ability at the University of Houston, in Round 3.

Through their first two games together, the pair had already shown a good connection. 

But on Sunday in their AFC South rivalry matchup vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, they hit arguably their most explosive play yet, with Stroud throwing a 46-yard dot to Dell, putting the Texans on the doorstep at the one-yard line. 

And on the very next opportunity, the Texans took advantage of the explosive play, with second-year running back Dameon Pierce rushing for the short touchdown run and putting Houston up 7-0 over their AFC South Rival.  

The rookie pairing of Dell and Stroud are both coming off of big weeks against the Colts in Week 2. 

In fact, Stroud set an early career-high throwing the football, completing 30 of 47 passes for 384 yards and two touchdowns. Dell, of course, was on the receiving end of a good portion of that production, catching seven passes for 72 yards and a score on 10 targets. 

As we write this, both Stroud and Dell appear to be off to a similar start on Sunday, with Stroud completing 5 of 8 passes for 80 yards - 46 of which came on the play to Dell.

They'll hope to continue their strong connection as both the game and their careers, progress.

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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