Tank Dell may not be back on the football field until 2026 when the extent of the horrific knee injury he suffered against the Kansas City Chiefs becomes painfully clear.
The 25-year-old Houston Texans wide receiver was taken off the field in an ambulance and taken straight to the hospital in Kansas City, where he stayed overnight.
It turned out that Dell tore his ACL and dislocated his kneecap after colliding with teammate Jared Wayne in the end zone while receiving a touchdown pass.
But the damage doesn’t stop there, it has now come to light. According to a new report out of Houston on Christmas Eve, Dell also tore his medial and lateral ligaments and damaged his meniscus.
The report from Click2Houston says Dell will need more than one surgery on his road to recovery and it means he almost certainly won’t be able to play for the Texans in 2025.
The Texans are cagey about the full forecast for Dell as they determine the finer details.
Tank Dell is unlikely to play for the Houston Texans at all in 2025 due to his horrific knee injury
Texans quarterback CJ Stroud fought back tears as Dell was treated by medics on the field
But quarterback CJ Stroud looked like he was fighting back tears on the field at Arrowhead Stadium as his teammate received medical treatment during the game.
Head coach DeMaco Ryans said Sunday, “We’ll still evaluate, see where he is, still meet with doctors to see what’s next for him, but it’s a significant knee injury, and our thoughts and prayers are with him. .
“We would very much like to thank the Kansas City medical team and the physicians there and their staff for being very accommodating,” Ryans added.
“Because you helped with Tank, got him a room and got him sorted out. I really thought those guys did an incredible job.”
Stroud spoke out about Dell after the Chiefs loss on Saturday and clearly found it difficult to talk about.
‘All you can do is really pray. At the end of the day, God still gets the credit,” he opened. “No matter what happens to me, I will be here because of the grace of Jesus. The grace of who he is in my life and Tank’s life.”
‘For everything, no matter how it goes, left or right, up or down, I must always praise my lord and savior. It’s not easy, but after that I try to use it as motivation.
“It’s not easy to just let it go, especially as my best friend. It’s not easy to move on and just keep playing, but I’m trying to do the best I can.”
‘My teammates helped me up. I appreciate these guys talking to me because I was going through it. So I appreciate them just being there for me.”