How close was wide receiver Tank Dell to returning to the Houston Texans in 2026?

Surprisingly, general manager Nick Caserio actually did leave the door open for a potential return ahead of the postseason if Houston remained in the hunt for a playoff berth.

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Dell, who suffered a slew of lower-body injuries during a regular-season loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last December, has constantly been around the team’s facility since the start of his rehabilitation. While away from the team on the field, Dell was often seen on the sidelines during home games during the regular season, including the season finale victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Caserio, who appeared on Sports Radio 610’s “Payne and Pendergast,” went into detail explaining that while it was a long shot for him to play, nothing was off the table for Dell and his status last fall.

“We were kind of like, ‘well maybe there’s a shot that he’ll be able to go at the end the season,’ but it just didn’t turn out that way,” Caserio said. “He’s kind of ready to go here. I think he’ll be able to go hopefully in April. He’s there training just about every day, so the big step for him will be once he’s out of rehab mode, once he’s actually on the field and you actually start running and cutting in a more true football type environment and what that actually looks like.”

A 2023 third-round pick out of the University of Houston, Dell emerged as an elite playmaker during his rookie season, totaling 709 receiving yards and seven touchdowns before suffering a season-ending leg injury in a win over the Denver Broncos.

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In 2024, Dell started slowly, but eventually found his footing as the No. 2 receiver opposite Nico Collins, totaling 667 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 14 games.

“Overall, he’s probably not quite to where he was, but he’s trending that way,” Caserio said.

The Texans own the No. 28 pick in the upcoming NFL draft.

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Did Texans WR Tank Dell nearly return in 2025? Nick Caserio explains