Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell is ramping up toward NFL training camp after missing the entire 2025 season during recovery from a major knee injury, according to an NFL.com report published Sunday.
Dell dislocated his kneecap and tore multiple ligaments in December of his second season with Houston. NFL.com reported that he was not a full participant during the Texans' offseason program but was running routes and catching passes against defensive backs.
Dell Moves From Rehab Work Toward Training Camp
Dell told KPRC 2, in comments cited by NFL.com, that he is "almost there" after a long recovery. The report did not give a guaranteed return date or say Houston has cleared him for full training-camp work.
That distinction matters. Running routes in the spring is a meaningful step for a receiver coming off a knee injury, but it is still part of a ramp-up rather than proof that his old workload will be waiting on Day 1.
Dell's next hurdle is training camp, where the Texans can measure his conditioning, explosiveness and timing with quarterback C.J. Stroud in a fuller practice setting.
Texans Receiver Room Has Changed Around Him
Dell arrived as a 2023 third-round pick and gave Houston immediate production, finishing his rookie year with 47 catches for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games before a fractured fibula cut that season short.
He had 51 receptions for 667 yards and three touchdowns when he was injured in Week 16 of the 2024 season, according to NFL.com. His absence then stretched across the full 2025 campaign.
Houston still reached the playoffs without him but lost in the Divisional Round for the third straight year. NFL.com noted that Dell would return to a receiver group that includes Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson.
Houston Gets A Needed Camp Question
The Texans do not need to solve Dell's entire role in June. They first need to see how close he is to full-speed football after a long layoff and whether he can rebuild the sharpness that made him a quick-impact player early in his career.
If Dell is cleared and keeps progressing, Houston gets another option for Stroud and a different layer in its passing game. If the ramp-up takes longer, the Texans at least enter camp with a clearer test than they had during his year away.