Dell, a 2023 third-round pick who made an immediate impact with 709 yards and seven touchdowns on 47 receptions in 11 games as a rookie, has unfortunately needed to make bouncing back a theme of his NFL career.
A fractured fibula cut his first season short, and he suffered a gunshot wound in a shooting at a Florida restaurant during that offseason.
Dell started off the 2024 season slowly, along with the rest of a Houston offense that sputtered, but he had 51 catches for 667 yards and three TDs at the time of his Week 16 injury, having put together one of his best games of the year with 98 receiving yards and a score before going down.
Although the Texans made another playoff trip amid Dell’s season-long absence in 2025, they fell in the Divisional Round as they have for three years running. Dell returning to full strength could perhaps help Houston over that hump, bolstering a passing offense that hovered around the middle of the league last year.
When he is ready, he will return to a room featuring Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and Xavier Hutchinson.
The next hurdle will be working through training camp, a preparation phase for the season Dell said he “cant wait” for.
“I’ll be there,” Dell said. “Just to be out there with the team, man, and just to feel the camaraderie, just being out there and catching a ball from C.J. (Stroud) and being in the team atmosphere, man, it felt so good. Y’all don’t understand how long I waited for that.”
There’s no telling exactly what version of Dell the Texans will be getting after such an arduous recovery process, nor how long it will take for him to return to top form, but the wide receiver remains thankful to those who have been in his corner and ready for the challenge ahead.
“My family, of course,” Dell said regarding sources of support he’s received. “God first, but my family, of course, and the belief I have from the organization, from Nick (Caserio) on to the bottom, from Nick (Caley) to DeMeco (Ryans) to my receiver coach, Ben (McDaniels) to the training staff, Roland (Ramirez) and everyone in the training staff.
“It’s been a great ride, a great journey, and they held me down from the jump. It’s going to be a great year for us. You know, our number one goal is to be the first team to put a bull on the ring. That’s [the] main focus, going to a Super Bowl. That’s all we’re thinking about.”
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