Tank Dell Gets Cold Truth After Houston Texans’ Plan Falls Through
· Yahoo Sports
Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell received a dose of reality.
“I would say he’s close. He’s not quite there, which is why he’s in the category that he’s in. I think we’ll have a better idea here with a lot of these guys after four weeks, or four games, whatever it is,” Caserio told reporters on September 1. “But I’d say he’s definitely closer now than he was, say, in training camp.
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“There’s a little bit more work that remains. But overall, he’s in pretty good spirits. There’s certain things that we just have to see.”
Dell suffered a devastating knee injury during the 2024 season and he has not been back on the field in a competitive capacity since. The unfortunate part is that Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans framed Dell as being near playing in a preseason contest.
Instead, the fourth-year pro will miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season.
Texans GM Nick Caserio Gets Honest About Tank Dell
GettyNick Caserio spoke candidly about Tank Dell.Notably, Caserio said that Dell’s road to coming off the injured reserve/designated to return list and getting back on the field for the Texans goes beyond his physical readiness.
“And some of this, too, is, honestly, for him, mentally, just to make sure that he has enough confidence,” Caserio said, “so he can go out there and perform the way that he’s capable of and the way that kind of he knows he knows how to.”
Then came an update on the plan, which–for now, at least–remains standard for IR players.
Caserio broke down what he meant by Dell being “close,” citing the evaluation that comes from activating a player off one of the injured lists, hedging against a four-week/game timeline.
“After four game or four weeks we’ll see where he is. So, the next step is–with those players–is they can start to practice, whenever that is, right? It could be after four weeks; it could be a little bit further out. So, that’s the first step. The games you’re not going to really know. It’s really going to be practice. And then, if you can get through X number of practices and get in some of the team settings, then the next step will be, ‘Well, can he get in a game?’” Caserio said.
“It’s more of like, ‘Hey, we’re going to have to, whenever he does, start the clock practice-wise, all right? Is he ready, is he healthy, is he capable? Does he feel good? And then, we’re going to have to let it rip and let it roll.”
Still, that is a ways out for Dell.
“And then, whenever you start those players, they have 21 days, technically, before you act. You have to activate them or you’re forced to make a decision. So, I think we’ll have a little more information once we kind of get into October on a lot of those players.
In addition to Dell, Texans cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram is also on IR but designated to return at some point.
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