{"id":870958,"date":"2026-04-21T02:48:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T02:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/870958\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T02:48:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T02:48:51","slug":"texans-c-j-stroud-gets-good-news-after-drawing-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/870958\/","title":{"rendered":"Texans\u2019 C.J. Stroud Gets Good News After Drawing Attention"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"C.J.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans reacts after defeating the San Francisco 49ers.<\/p>\n

Monday was report day for the Houston Texans<\/a>, and C.J. Stroud<\/a>\u2019s presence was enhanced by one key encouraging development.<\/p>\n

That is fourth-year wide receiver Tank Dell<\/a>, Stroud\u2019s friend and one of his most-trusted targets before suffering a leg injury in Week 16 of the 2024 season that cost him all of the 2025 campaign, being on hand for Day 1.<\/p>\n

Dell is expected to return in 2026, and he is already off to a promising start.<\/p>\n

C.J. Stroud, Tank Dell Turn Heads as Texans Report for Offseason Program\"C.J.<\/p>\n

GettyC.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans throws a pass against the New England Patriots<\/a> during the fourth quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.<\/p>\n

The Texans highlighted several players as they entered the team\u2019s facilities for the first day of the offseason program, including Stroud.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in business [briefcase emoji],\u201d the Texans posted<\/a> on X on April 20.<\/p>\n

Stroud is coming off a polarizing end to the 2025 season, which he capped with a multi-turnover performance against the New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. He has vowed to come back better and has inspired confidence from Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cC.J. \u2026 shows up here, he\u2019s looking like he\u2019s in great shape. That mindset, he\u2019s revved up. He\u2019s ready to go. So, it all starts with what\u2019s your mindset, how you\u2019re attacking the offseason. C.J. is going to attack it the right way. So, I\u2019m excited to see him just continue to work, continue to grow as a player, grow as a leader, and he\u2019s eager to do that,\u201d Ryans told reporters<\/a> on April 20.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be an exciting offseason for him just to be here putting in the work\u2013continuing to put in the work, because he\u2019s been working, right, after the season. He\u2019s been dedicating himself to working, doing things the right way. So, when you see a young man working the way he\u2019s working, I know what that looks like on the other side, and it\u2019s only positive things that can come from that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryans has been unwavering in his support for Stroud, who entered the league as the second overall pick the same year the Texans hired the head coach.<\/p>\n

Stroud has also led the Texans to three straight postseason trips.<\/p>\n

The key is overcoming what Stroud considers to be uncharacteristic errors, and he should improve simply by having a year of experience in second-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley<\/a>\u2019s scheme.<\/p>\n

Getting Dell back will help Stroud to that end, assuming the Texans\u2019 playmaker is close to the player he was before his injury.<\/p>\n

Tank Dell Still on Personalized Timeline\"Tank<\/p>\n

GettyTank Dell #3 of the Houston Texans warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As for Dell, Ryans is eager to get him back in the mix with Stround and the Texans\u2019 offense, too, but he is not going to force the previously explosive wideout back into action before he is ready.<\/p>\n

Ryans said Dell \u201chas been around, working out<\/a>\u00a0all throughout the offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile no one else was here, Tank has been here working, grinding in the background. So, I\u2019m excited to see Tank when it is his time to get back out and play football, as everybody here\u2013we all love Tank. We\u2019ve seen the ability that he has, the big playmaking ability, and nobody loves Tank more than me,\u201d Ryans said, saying he remains. \u201chopeful that we can get him back to playing, back to the level that he was playing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know how devastating of an injury that was for Tank. So, I\u2019m proud of the young man for him just working in the background, working in silence to be back here, working out with the guys and having that opportunity to go play again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ryans said the Texans have to protect Dell from himself, praising the staff\u2019s job so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Tank, he has outstanding energy. Always big, bright smile. So, he\u2019s always eager to go. You always have to kind of pull him back when he needs to be pulled back. But our team has done a great job,\u201d Ryans said. \u201cThey\u2019ve done a great job of individualizing a plan<\/a> for each player, and Tank\u2019s no different.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur team does a great job of just remaining consistent and understanding the big picture, right? Everybody\u2019s excited.<\/p>\n

The good news is they still have plenty of time before the season, with Ryans noting, \u201cWe don\u2019t play football today. So, there is a process. There is a long-range view that we\u2019re working to get Tank back to playing football.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tJosh Buckhalter<\/a> covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has covered both leagues since 2016, including bylines at FanSided, Last Word on Sports and Clocker Sports. He’s based in Villa Park, Illinois. Follow Josh on Twitter and Instagram: @JoshGBuck More about Josh Buckhalter<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Texans\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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