KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tank Dell bolted upfield on a jet sweep, a quick-hitting play intended to capitalize on his speed and elusiveness.
And everything went smoothly for the Texans’ wide receiver as he got around the perimeter of the defense for a first down against the Miami Dolphins.
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Whenever Dell touched the football, he was productive. He caught both passes thrown to him for 26 yards, including a 15-yard catch that tied running back Joe Mixon for the longest reception of the game for the Texans as they clinched the AFC South division title with a 20-12 victory at NRG Stadium.
Dell also showed his skills as a punt returner, averaging 15 yards on three returns with a long return of 23 yards.
Although the former University of Houston standout contributed, he’s set his ambitions on doing even more and hopes to increase his involvement in all facets of the game.
“I’m definitely trying to improve my role and become a big factor on this team,” Dell told KPRC 2. “Me, personally, I feel like my season hasn’t been good. I know what I’m capable of. I feel like I can way much better. It starts with me. I got to go out there with a clean slate, a clean mind and make the plays I’m capable of making.”
Dell has been healthy this season after a rocky end to last season as he broke his fibula after setting a franchise rookie record with seven touchdown catches. After making a full recover from that injury setback, Dell made another speedy recovery from a gunshot wound, a flesh wound through his leg, when he was an innocent bystander as a victim in a mass shooting in Florida at a party.
Fourteen games into the season, Dell’s role hasn’t been as expansive as last season. He has caught 45 passes for 569 yards and two touchdowns and is averaging 12.6 yards per catch. He’s on pace to finish the season with 55 catches for 691 yards. He’s been targeted 74 times.
A year ago, as a rookie, Dell was on pace for 1,205 yards before he broke his leg.
#Texans wide receiver Tank Dell @Tankdell4 @UHCougarFB 'This is basically like playoff football' @KPRC2 @KPRC2RandyMc pic.twitter.com/azXNU9wj5f
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 13, 2024
During the offseason, the Texans traded for Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs and invested a three-year, $75 million contract in top wide receiver Nico Collins.
Diggs is out for the season. Collins missed five games with a pulled hamstring, but has been dominant since being activated from injured reserve and caught a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback C.J. Stroud against Miami.
When Collins and Diggs were both out, Dell had a big game against the New York Jets in a road loss with six catches for 126 yards.
Dell just wants to contribute more to the Texans’ winning.
“Yeah, it is always fun to see a guy with the ball in his hands making plays,” Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said. “I would say before he even had a punt return happen, we gave him a jets sweep pretty early in the game and he made three, four guys miss. I don’t know if we had an explosive, I think that was actually our only explosive of the entire day was that run on the jets sweep, which was all him just making a play. I think anytime you see someone doing that with the ball in their hands, you can tell that get their juices going in the game and it is exciting going forward.”
Over the past five games, Dell has caught a combined 15 passes with no scores and a high yardage total of 72 yards on five catches in a loss to the Tennessee Titans.
He has three catches for 49 yards on six targets and three first downs over the past two games.
Dell is remaining optimistic about his role and the Texans’ outlook.
As a division champion, the Texans have an automatic playoff berth and a home playoff game.
Last season, he wasn’t available for the playoffs because he was on injured reserve after undergoing surgery.
“We definitely want to send messages to opposing teams,” Dell said. “We’re focused one game at a time. That’s just our mindset.
“To piggyback on that, I just keep honing in on the details and really focus on the things I need to improve on. I look back at the season I had and what I messed up and just try go forward.”
At 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, Dell is as tough as a two-dollar steak.
He finds motivational fuel in anyone that doesn’t believe in his ability or focuses on his lack of size.
“Just to know people had a doubt about you, it gives you fuel to go hard every day, every month,” he said. “Knowing you have something to improve on is something to push you. I play like everybody is rooting against me, even if they’re rooting for me. That’s how I approach it.”
Before and since his scary offseason incident, Dell has had his family and their strong support behind him steadfastly.
They moved to Houston and live five minutes away from him. His mom cooks his favorite meals, keeping him nourished for the rigors of the season.
“I love it,” Dell said. “I come home and my family is waiting. It’s just like high school. My family, I’ve got two little brothers and a sister. My family, coming from where I come from and growing up without the things I have now, struggling and stuff like that, seeing my mom, that’s one of my whys.”
Now, the Texans are in a playoff mode and hoping to make a long run after losing in the AFC divisional round last year to the Baltimore Ravens.
“It’s different when you’re fighting for your brother,” Dell said. “We’ve all built strong relationships, not just me and 7 (Stroud). We’re trying to fight for each other. It’s a brotherhood. I was just talking to Joe Mixon about it. This is where it’s definitely playoff football. Every game matters. December is where the games really count.
“It’s a whole new season. We all know about the approach. We’ve got to go out with our head down and make plays and win a ballgame. We don’t want to have any more closer encounters or tough losses. We’re trying to go in there and get a victory every game.”
Having played in the city of Houston now for the past few years, Dell has built an affinity for the region and the fans that support him.
“It grew over time, and it made me want to go out and play for the fans,” Dell said. “It’s the city that believed in me, so here we are now. I love this sport. I love football. I don’t know where I would be without it.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
