Texans HC DeMeco Ryans declines to put any timetable on a Tank Dell return.

“We need Tank back when Tank is ready to be Tank.” pic.twitter.com/pSHslPsllR

— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) May 5, 2025

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has always been about the players first. If they need time to rest, he’ll give them a moment to relax, reset and eventually regroup to better the roster.

That remains the case for third-year wide receiver Tank Dell, who continues his recovery after suffering a fractured knee and several lower-body tears in a Week 15 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. Much like with the last update, Ryans said Dell continues to fight through the rehab process, but there is no expected timeline for a return.

“I talk to Tank all the time. Tank is doing great, he’s in good spirits, he’s on the road to recovery,” Ryans said Monday at River Oaks Country Club in Houston. “He’ll be back when it’s time for Tank to be back. There’s nothing to rush. There’s no set timeline or ‘we need him back by a certain date.’

“We need Tank back when Tank is ready to be Tank and that’s good enough for me.”

Dell’s leg injury marked one of the more brutal sights of the 2024 season among all plays in the league. After hauling in a touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud, the second-year target remained motionless on the cold grass at Arrowhead Stadium for several minutes before being taken out by ambulance.

Since December, Dell has undergone multiple surgeries to repair his ACL, LCL, and MCL. He still has several more minor procedures that must be done before he’ll be officialy cleared to return to full speed.

Receiver play was hindered last season by injury, leading to a second 10-7 finish and No. 4 seed in the AFC postseason. While Pro Bowler Nico Collins returned for the playoffs, he missed five games with a hamstring injury in early October. The Texans went 2-3 without him.

Midway through Collins’ recovery, two-time All-Pro Stefon Diggs suffered a torn ACL in Week 8, sidelining him for the remainder of the season and effectively ending his Texans’ tenure.

“The receiver position, it was important to get guys in there that can help our entire team,” Ryans said Monday. “We saw down the stretch [of 2024] when we lost our depth at receiver, we saw the strain it put on our offense.”

With Dell out and Diggs gone, Houston invested in its receiving corps this offseason. Ahead of free agency, the Texans traded a future seventh-round pick for Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Christian Kirk. Houston also signed Braxton Berrios and Justin Watson in free agency before drafting Iowa State wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel with two of its first three picks in the 2025 NFL draft last month.

DeMeco Ryans told us today at a Texans charity fundraiser, Tank Dell is in a “good spot” as he continues to rehab from his major injury. pic.twitter.com/WcaDeVLQuv

— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) May 5, 2025

“Just having multiple guys who can go out, catch the football, be explosive in what they’re doing at the receiver spot, it can only help us,” Ryans said. “So I’m excited to see the depth, excited to see the guys compete and excited to see who comes out on top.”

Ryans would love to see Dell back on the field in 2025, but it seems more likely he’ll become a factor for the hometown squad in 2026.