CJ Stroud loses trusted receiver in brutal blow that impact Texans ambitions
Houston Texans star quarterback C.J. Stroud has lost a favourite target after fellow rookie Tank Dell suffered a season-ending leg injury in the win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Stroud and Dell have formed an impressive quarterback-receiver rookie tandem throughout the 2023 season, helping transform the Texans from one of the NFL’s poorest teams to being on the precipice of an unlikely playoff berth. The win over the Broncos had big permutations in the race for a wild-card spot in the AFC, but it came at a price.
Dell suffered a fractured fibula as he helped deliver a block for Dameon Pierce’s three-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. As Pierce crossed the plane, Dell was rolled up on and lay on the ground in pain with his concerned teammates refraining from celebrating the score.
The 24-year-old was carted off the field before being ruled out of the game at the start of the third quarter. He may not have had any catches in Sunday’s cruIual win, but Dell has played a key role alongside Stroud in the Texans’ impressive season.
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Across the 2023 campaign, Dell’s 47 receptions and 709 receiving yards each rank second on the team behind Nico Collins. He has emerged as a favoured target of Stroud’s; Dell entered Week 13 tied with Collins for the most first-downs conversions (34) on the Texans this season.
After the Texans selected Stroud second overall of the 2023 NFL Draft, the quarterback immediately told the franchise to move for Houston Cougars receiver Dell. The pair spoke at the NFL Combine and began texting, forming an unlikely pre-draft friendship.
“Right after the combine we were texting each other and stuff like that,” third-round pick Dell told KPRC2. “He talked to me after the Combine and was like, ‘boy, I like how you run routes’.
C.J. Stroud and Tank Dell forged a productive relationship on the field through 12 weeks (Getty Images)“He says he’s been watching me and stuff like that. I told him vice versa and know that I appreciate him and stuff like that. It was after he got drafted I sent him congrats, and then I was like ‘tell them to come [and] get me’.
“I told him ‘tell them to come [and] get me’ and stuff like that, and he was like ‘I got you’. The next day, he FaceTimed me out of nowhere, and he was like ‘I told them I want you’.”
Before teaming up with Stroud, Dell expressed excitement about their partnership and added: “He is an amazing quarterback. You saw his work of art that he put in at Ohio State, you know, he’s a winner. That’s all he know is win, that’s all I know is win, and you know, we’re competitors so it’s going to be good.”
Selected by the Texans in the third round, Dell became an instant fan favorite as a hometown rookie who impressed with a string of stellar performances. However, the rookie now faces a long road to recovery in order to resume his promising career alongside Stroud.
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