Finally, the Houston Texans have revealed their plans for wide receiver Tank Dell headed into the 2026 NFL season.
According to multiple reports, the Texans have placed Dell on the injured reserve to begin the season. The speedster will miss the first four games of the season, but will be eligible to return Oct. 11 against the Tennessee Titans at Reliant Stadium.
Dell tore his ACL, MCL and LCL, along with dislocating his kneecap and suffering significant meniscus damage, which required multiple surgeries and forced him to miss the entire 2025 season while rehabbing. For 18 months, fans pondered if the former third-round pick would ever return to full form.
Fast-forward to this training camp and Dell was back at practice in a limited role.
Texans
placed WR Tank Dell on injured reserve, designated to return, due to the ongoing recovery from his knee injury, as @jonmalexander reported. pic.twitter.com/0PaJWyXjTT
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2026
As much as the physical recovery was challenging, Dell mentioned the internal struggle as a focal issue, too.
"I'll say mentally, it's just about trusting that the work you put in prior to going out there to do those things,” Dell said avout his recovery last month. “Prior to going out there to put your foot in the ground, trusting the process with the training staff and what they had set out for me so that when I got out here I wasn't scared and I was talking to my doctor and I was just asking him questions and he was just telling me to let loose, trust it and be you because it's 100% stable. When he told me that, I just came out and was putting my foot in the ground. I didn't care about it, I tried not to think about it, because during your process the mental aspect of it is the hardest thing you have to get over. If I went out there iffy about what I'm doing, then I probably would never be able to come back to what I want to be. I was just out there, just trusting it, putting my foot in the ground, trying to be explosive and it's working in my favor."
Over his two active seasons with the Texans, Dell has caught 98 passes for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's thankful for the team's patience and belief in his recovery, but he's now ready to be back after a short stint on IR.
Right now, the Texans only have five receivers on the active roster: Nico Collins, Jaylin Noel, Kayshon Boutte, Xavier Hutchinson and Jared Wayne.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans to place WR Tank Dell on injured reserve to begin 2026 season
