Tank Dell was on the field for a padded practice with the Houston Texans on Wednesday, albeit in a limited capacity.
The significance was not lost on head coach DeMeco Ryans, who hadn’t had Dell available for a team practice since his devastating knee injury on Dec. 21, 2024.
Dell has yet to be cleared for 11-on-11 drills as he goes through the final steps of recovery from the injury suffered during a Week 16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ryans said the Texans are confident Dell is on “the right plan.”
“Nothing’s changed with his plan,” Ryans said. “He got out, did individuals today and we expect him to just continue to progress with how he’s feeling. There’s no set way of doing it. It’ll be based upon how he’s feeling and we’ll do the right thing by Tank, making sure that we approach it the right way, take care of him the right way, so he’s feeling confident when he’s able to step back out there in full-team drills.”
Dell, 25, had 51 receptions for 667 yards and three touchdowns in 2024.
A third-round pick in 2023, he had his rookie season cut short by a broken leg. Dell played in 11 of the Titans’ first 12 games that season and caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns.
