Texans' Tank Dell still working to regain his top-end speed after injury, according to Nick Caserio
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As Houston Texans receiver Tank Dell continues to work to return from a devastating injury that sidelined him nearly two years ago, what's missing in his recovery, according to Nick Caserio, is the top-end speed that made him such an effective weapon his first two seasons in the league.
Dell was one of the many topics covered by the Texans general manager in his 45-minute appearance Wednesday morning on 95.7 The Fan's "Payne & Pendergast."
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Dell, who tore his ACL, MCL, LCL and other ligaments during a game at Kansas City in December 2024, returned for training camp last month, but will open the season on injured reserve, meaning he isn't eligible to return until Week 5 at the earliest.
Caserio said the 5-foot-9, 165-pound receiver has had some "minor setbacks, nothing significant" during his recovery, but was more specific about the man who ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at the combine hoping to return to the speed that made him so successful.
"We all saw what Tank did his first two years in the league and he made a lot of electric plays. Whether or not he can get to that same level of performance, we'll find out," Caserio said. "But overall, he's definitely making progress. I'd say it's more minor tweaks than anything else and I think he'll be able to build his capacity and maybe some of his high-speed, long-distance running and then see if we can get him to 20-21 mph and the running speeds he was running before the injury."
Caserio said Dell has shown his usual quickness, ability to change directions and good hands when running 15- to 20-yard routes, but they still want to see the "high-speed running, the long, high-yardage, long distance."
There's also the mental aspect that anyone has to deal with when returning to game action after a long time off following such a devastating injury.
"Overall, he's on a pretty good track," Caserio said. "I think some of this, and I can't speak for the player, but mentally they want to make sure that they're in a good enough space that when they step on the field, they feel confident and they feel like they can do the things they're capable of doing."
Dell, who had 98 catches for 1,376 yards and 10 touchdowns in 25 games before the injury, said early in training camp that his goal is to return an even better player than he was in 2024.
"I'm trying to be a big factor on the team," Dell said after a training camp practice in early August. "I know I am. I know I will be."
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