The Houston Texans finished the 2025 season ranked as the 14th-best passing offense by yards per game at 218.1. Their total marks were:

Yards per game: 218.1 (14th)Average: 6.8 (19th)Completion %: 62.5% (22nd)Receptions: 364 (11th)Longest reception: 75 yards (9th)Touchdowns: 24 (20th)Total Yards: 3,956 (14th)

They accomplished this with a wide receiver group that was composed of Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins (rookie), Christian Kirk, Jaylin Noel (rookie), Xavier Hutchinson, Braxton Berrios and Justin Watson. 

Tank was sorely missed

Missing from the group was diminutive dynamo Tank Dell, who missed all of 2025 while recovering from a gruesome knee injury sustained against the Kansas CIty Chiefs last season. To go back even further, Dell has really missed chunks of the last two seasons due to major injuries, with 2023 being because of a fractured fibula that occurred in a goal line situation against the Denver Broncos. 

Without him, the group lacked an electric “change of pace” receiving threat that could take the top off defenses while also taking ankles in the short to intermediate. Dell’s shiftiness would have also been of great use in adding wrinkles to the run game by way of occasional Jet Sweeps, reverses and even functioning as a decoy when utilizing motions to scout defensive coverages. 

Dell plays much bigger than his 5-foot-10, 165 lb frame would suggest, evidenced by former Panthers/Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. who mentioned recently that Dell was the “Alpha” of the receiving core. 

.@SteveSmithSr89 on @Tankdell4 :

“From what I’ve heard & what I know, that wide receiver room, belongs to Tank Dell. He’s going to fall back into his role as big dog.” https://t.co/Tay1qF6X8L pic.twitter.com/Zgyd4xDsaM

— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) January 31, 2026Implications of his return

Projected to be ready by training camp, Dell’s reinclusion should infuse that group with a swagger and gamebreaking potential that’s been missing in his absence. Of course, his re-introduction would mean someone will be losing reps.

Most likely, Kirk would be on his way out due to being an unrestricted free agent. Thus, Dell would theoretically just step right in and occupy his slot role (for starters). Another name to watch would be Noel, who essentially had many of the same traits in the offense that Dell did. 

Yet, Noel’s inclusion was a slow burn in offensive coordinator Nick Caley’s system. As much as Noel could’ve been a bigger threat in the passing game, has struggled to get consistent touches on a weekly basis. When he would get featured, it would be in random bunches. Still, those bunches produced glimpses at a game-flipping element that was waiting to break through the surface for Houston’s offense. 

Trouble for the NFL

Dell being back could solidify that factor for Caley, and could help catapult the unit to top-10 status in the NFL (the top-10 finished with a range of roughly 240 to 280 yards per game). 

If that’s the case, don’t be surprised if the Texan’s 3,900+ total yardage mark suddenly becomes 4,200-4,500 and its helping Houston be in position to retake the AFC South crown that was repossessed by the Jacksonville Jaguars (who’s receiving core ranked 11th-best in yards per game with 236.8). 

It’s good to have Tank back in the fold. It’s terrible for the rest of the AFC South and NFL as a whole.