INJURY UPDATE

Texans HC DeMeco Ryans reveals short and long-term outlook for Tank Dell

Texans DeMeco Ryans
Tank Dell is out for the season. Composite Getty Image.

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.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
The Red Sox beat the Astros, 7-3. Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images.

Romy Gonzalez homered over the Green Monster on the first pitch faced by a Boston batter, Trevor Story added a two-run shot, and the Red Sox beat the Houston Astros 7-3 on Saturday.

Abraham Toro added a two-run drive — one of three homers the Red Sox hit over Fenway Park’s fabled left-field wall — and Story added an RBI double as Boston won its third straight.

Houston’s Christian Walker homered for the second straight day, a two-run shot off Walker Buehler in the first inning.

The benches and bullpens cleared when Astros reliever Héctor Neris yelled at the Red Sox dugout and third-base coach Kyle Hudson at the end of the seventh. But order was quickly restored.

You can watch what happened in the video below.

After beating the AL West leaders on Roman Anthony’s walk-off single in the series opener on Friday night, the Red Sox erased a quick 2-0 deficit when Story hit his drive in a three-run third against Colton Gordon (4-4) that pushed Boston ahead 4-2.

Story’s shot hit the top of a billboard over the Monster seats and bounced out of Fenway after Rob Refsnyder’s RBI single.

Justin Wilson (3-1) came on in the fifth inning with runners on second and third with Boston leading 6-3 and struck out the only two batters he faced. Aroldis Chapman got the final two outs for his 20th save.

Gordon gave up six runs in four-plus innings.

Key moment

The Astros loaded the bases in the eighth against Jordan Hicks, but Carlos Correa struck out looking on a 99 mph fastball.

Key stat

Boston’s bullpen went 4 2/3 scoreless innings.

Up next

Astros LHP Framber Valdez (11-4, 2.62 ERA) is set to face Red Sox RHP Lucas Giolito (7-2, 3.80) on Sunday in the series finale.

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome