Texans 'don't know if' Tank Dell will return from brutal injury by this time of NFL year

Back in January, Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell vowed that he would eventually be ready to "cook up" coming off the gruesome knee injury that has kept him out of action since December 2024.

It sounds like Dell may not be back in the kitchen as soon as originally hoped. 

Will Tank Dell be an active participant during OTAs? 

While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans declined to confirm that Dell will make a full return to practice by the time organized team activities get underway in May. 

"Tank, he's grinding. Great attitude," Ryans said, as shared by Nick Shook of the NFL's website. "Don't know if OTAs he'll be there, but I know he'll be back for us at some point this year."

The "some point" portion of Ryans' comment could spark some concerns regarding the 2023 third-round draft pick who needed multiple surgeries after he went down with a dislocated knee, a torn ACL, torn MCL, torn LCL and meniscus damage on Dec. 21, 2024. Without having Dell as a weapon, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud regressed through the divisional round of this year's postseason tournament. It's unclear if the Texans could consider moving on from Stroud if he fails to make a major leap during his fourth pro season. 

Texans want Tank Dell to focus on "the main thing" for return to action

"As I told Tank," Ryans added during his comments, "it's not a matter of getting back to OTAs just to get back. It's just a matter of getting back in a really good spot physically to where you stay there. That's the main thing. It's not about how quickly he returns. It's just about Tank returning because we saw what Tank can do, the playmaking that he provides to our entire team. Just getting him back, whenever that time is, it's going to lift our team."

It is, of course, far too early to know what Dell will and won't be after he shakes off the rust that has accumulated for over a year. As much as the Texans don't want to rush Dell back, Stroud could use the 26-year-old in the lineup sooner rather than later.