Texans WR Tank Dell Having First Surgery Wednesday

According to Aaron Wilson, Texans WR Tank Dell has the first of what will be multiple surgeries to repair his knee scheduled for Wednesday. 

The second-year wideout tore multiple ligaments and suffered other damage when he dislocated his knee in a game against the Chiefs in late December on a touchdown catch. 

It’s a similar injury to what Browns RB Nick Chubb suffered in 2023, and Chubb also needed multiple surgeries to repair all the damage. 

Former NFL team physician and injury analyst Dr. David Chao said it’s fair to call this a career-threatening injury for Dell.

“This is a much more difficult recovery than just an ACL, it’s a knee dislocation with three of four major ligaments torn and it’s a long road back,” Chao said. “Unfortunately, it has to be considered career threatening, but we all hope not career-ending…”

“A typical recovery timetable, it would be great if he could participate at some point next season, but it’s far from guaranteed he will play at any point next season. It’s similar to what happened with Browns running back Nick Chubb. They’re both knee dislocations, but not all knee dislocations are the same. This is a much more complicated surgery process than an isolated ACL and, as such, it’s going to be multiple surgeries and lots of follow-up. As much as this is a devastating injury, Nick Chubb did return to play his next season. Let’s hope for a similar good outcome for Tank Dell.”

Dell, 25, was a third-team All-American selection during his final season at Houston in addition to being a first-team All-AAC selection.

The Texans drafted him in the third round with the No. 69 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Dell signed a four-year, $5,689,094 rookie contract that includes a $1,137,523 signing bonus. 

In 2024, Dell appeared in 14 games for the Texans and caught 51 passes on 81 targets for 667 yards and three touchdowns.

We’ll have more on Dell as the news is available.