How circumstances may push Texans into unleashing full force of shiny new weapon
IT'S HAPPENING
14 September 2023
IT'S HAPPENING
Heading into Week 1 the Texans were dealing with an exorbitant amount of injuries, and things didn't get any better after the opening game against the Ravens. Now safety Jalen Pitre looks likely to miss the Colts game, and WR Noah Brown and DT Hassan Ridgeway have been moved to IR, and will be out for at least four weeks.
However, this could be a blessing in disguise for rookie WR Tank Dell. With Brown out of the picture, he should get a boost in targets, and hopefully that will lead to more explosive plays overall. Dell was one of the most talented receivers in the draft, and CJ Stroud could definitely use more playmakers to throw to.
Getting rookies ready to contribute early on can be a challenge, but it's not impossible. Look at how the Ravens deployed Zay Flowers in his NFL debut against the Texans last week.
He had 10 targets and two rush attempts for Baltimore, and was very efficient and effective. Flowers caught 9 of 10 targets for 78 yards, and recorded 9 yards rushing. Dell and Flowers are similar in that both are undersized receivers that can deliver big plays.
Dell was only targeted 4 times and hauled in 3 passes for 34 yards.
It would be nice to see the Texans use Dell on some Jet Sweeps and get him the ball in space more often. Some shots downfield would be great as well, which could loosen up the defense for the running attack.
Speaking of running backs, Dameon Pierce only had 13 total touches on Sunday. The Texans could benefit from keeping him on the field on third down more frequently, and also throwing him passes out of the backfield. He had 2 catches on 3 targets, but just a few more opportunities could make a big difference, especially with a rookie QB.
Journeyman running back Mike Boone should not be limiting Pierce's use on third down.
Don't miss the video above for the full conversation about how the Texans can unleash Tank Dell, and much more!
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Isaac Paredes hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the seventh inning after Christian Walker's two-run homer in the sixth tied it up, leading the Houston Astros to a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Saturday night.
WALKER LASER. TIE GAME.#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/wvhvQ7EKIi
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 20, 2025
Paredes hit a bloop single to short center field with two outs off San Diego’s Jeremiah Estrada (0-1), who had allowed two hits in 10 1/3 innings before Saturday.
Walker, who was moved out of the cleanup spot for the first time after batting .159 through the first 19 games, homered on a 1-0 sweeper from Michael King with two outs, his second of the season.
Bryan Abreu worked a scoreless eighth inning and Josh Hader, on his bobblehead giveaway night, pitched a scoreless ninth and got former Padres teammate Yuli Gurriel to fly out to end the game. Tayler Scott (1-1) worked two innings of relief and earned the win.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit his seventh homer of the season in the third inning. Manny Machado helped add to an early lead when he followed a Tatis single and stolen base with an RBI double in the fifth inning for the Padres, who lost back-to-back games for the second time this season.
Outfielder Tirso Ornelas, who signed with the Padres in 2016, made his major league debut. The 25-year-old Ornelas was called up from Triple-A El Paso where he was hitting .281. His journey to Houston was almost as trying as his climb to the big leagues. He had two flights canceled, delaying his arrival, and was inserted as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning and flied out.
Paredes’ RBI single in the seventh, which gave Houston the lead.
Houston has consecutive wins for the first time this season after beating the Padres 6-4 on Friday.
Houston LHP Framber Valdez (1-2, 4.50 ERA) opposes RHP Dylan Cease (1-1, 6.64 ERA) in the series finale on Sunday.