INJURY UPDATE
Texans HC DeMeco Ryans reveals short and long-term outlook for Tank Dell
Dec 23, 2024, 4:14 pm
INJURY UPDATE
Houston Texans receiver Tank Dell will miss the remainder of the season after dislocating a knee and tearing an ACL in a loss to Kansas City on Saturday.
Coach DeMeco Ryans revealed the details of his injury Monday before announcing that Dell would have season-ending surgery for a second straight year. He fractured his fibula in Week 13 against the Broncos as a rookie last season and had surgery on it the following day.
“He dislocated the knee, he tore the ACL, other things there he’ll have to get repaired," Ryans said. “So he’ll be out for the year.”
Ryans didn't have a date for Dell's surgery for this injury, but said it would be soon.
Dell was injured on a 30-yard touchdown catch in Houston’s 27-19 loss Saturday. He was coming across the back of the end zone and made the spectacular catch on a pass from C.J. Stroud before colliding with Houston teammate Jared Wayne on the way to the ground. Dell immediately grabbed at his knee and Wayne signaled for team trainers, who spent several minutes working on the wide receiver while teammates waited anxiously.
Dell was eventually placed on a stretcher and driven in a covered medical cart off the field, and then he was taken to the hospital. He stayed in the hospital overnight before flying back to Houston on Sunday.
Stroud, who is so close to Dell that he considers him a brother, cried the entire time the receiver was down on the field and for a while after he was taken away.
“It was just not easy for me to sit there and be emotional,” Stroud said Monday. “But it’s something that we all go through in life and it’s easy to be a fake tough guy. It’s easy to go through life acting like everything doesn’t affect you, but deep down we all know we’re going through something.”
Some criticized Stroud for crying. But he believes a display of emotion such as that was important to remind people of the human aspect of this game and the toll it can take on players.
“It’s good for young men and women out there, kids who are brought up — and I was taught this too as a kid, not from my parents but just from the world, don’t let anybody see you emotional,” he said. “Don’t let anybody see you down and yeah there’s some truth to that in in certain aspects, but there’s also life and I think it was good for people to see me in that light and knowing that there is still a human factor to me and I’m a normal person.”
Stroud said that he and Dell meet for Bible study a couple of times every week and he believes his faith will help Dell in this difficult time.
“This isn’t the end for him,” Stroud said. “This is just another bump in the road... there’s always light in the tunnel.”
This injury comes after the 25-year-old Dell was an innocent bystander at a private event in Sanford, Florida, last offseason, when he sustained a minor gunshot wound. He spent a brief amount of time in the hospital but was able to return to Houston soon afterward.
Dell, a third-round pick out of the University of Houston last year, ranks second on the team with 51 receptions for 667 yards and three touchdowns.
His injury is another blow to a team that was already missing Stefon Diggs after the four-time Pro Bowl receiver sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 8.
Jacob deGrom went eight innings to win his fourth consecutive start for the Texas Rangers, who got Jake Burger's solo home run off Hunter Brown in a 1-0 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday night in an anticipated pitchers' duel that certainly lived up to expectations.
Two-time Cy Young Award winner deGrom (4-1) is having quite a comeback after missing most of the last two seasons following Tommy John surgery. The 36-year-old right-hander struck out seven, two of those to end innings with two runners on base, while walking one and giving up five hits.
Brown (6-2), who is 10 years younger that deGrom, struck out nine without a walk while scattering three hits in his first career complete game. The righty was tied for the major league lead in wins and retired the first 12 batters he faced before Adolis García lined a double to left to start the fifth.
Shawn Armstrong worked around a two-out walk in the ninth for his second save.
Burger went deep leading off the sixth, a 394-foot drive into the Texas bullpen in right-center for his fourth homer of the season.
Rangers right fielder García made a sliding catch of a sinking liner by Mauricio Dubón for the final out of the seventh when Houston had a runner at second base. García had several nice plays, including a sliding catch near the line after running a long way to open the fourth.
Bruce Bochy got his 2,195th career win to break a tie with Sparky Anderson for the sixth-most by an MLB manager. Bochy, who turned 70 last month, is in his 28th season as a manager, his third in Texas.
Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 1.78 ERA) goes into Friday night having allowed only two earned runs over 25 innings in his last four starts (3-0). Right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (0-1, 15.75) makes only his third start for Houston since the 2022 World Series.