Ryans said Dell is talking to doctors and evaluating next steps.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans gave an update on receiver Tank Dell, who spent the night in Kansas City after suffering a serious knee injury in Saturday’s game against Kansas City.
Ryans spoke at around 1:15 p.m. Sunday, saying Dell was on a flight back to Houston. He said Dell was still talking to doctors and evaluating next steps. Ryans reiterated that it was a “significant” knee injury. He didn’t give specifics of the injury, though NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the second-year receiver out of the University of Houston suffered a dislocated kneecap and is out indefinitely.
The injury happened in the third quarter. Dell caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from quarterback CJ Stroud in the back of the end zone. As he was going down, he and teammate Jared Wayne collided.
Dell hung onto the ball, but immediately clutched his leg and was down on the turf in pain for several minutes. He was carted off the field and taken to a hospital in Kansas City, where he stayed overnight.
Ryans said it’s too soon to know how long Dell would be out.
“We don’t know,” he said. “We’re still evaluating that to see what will happen. He still has to talk to doctors and go through all the procedures.”
You can see Ryans’ full Sunday news conference below.
During Sunday’s news conference, Ryans was asked about Wayne and his state of mind after the collision.
“Jared was in a difficult spot emotionally, as anyone would be, right?” Ryans said. “It’s a tough spot to be in. In football, you use a lot of unpredictable movements. A lot of things happen. Things happen fast. And none of us can predict injuries or what’s going to happen on the field. It’s just guys play fast. Things happen all the time.”
Stroud, who is one of Dell’s closest friends, was visibly shaken Saturday. He had tears in his eyes as he watched Dell get loaded onto the cart, and Stroud was still getting consoled by teammates when he walked back to the Houston sideline.
“It’s not easy to just let it go, especially (because) that’s my best friend. It’s not easy to move on and keep playing,” Stroud said after the game. “I tried to do the best I could. My teammates helped me up. I appreciate the guys talking to me as I was going through it.”
“We’re talking about real people who have real emotions, real feelings that are going through a tough time right now,” Ryans said. “So just some thoughts and prayers with everyone. That’s involved in this situation.”
It’s the second straight year Dell has sustained what is likely to be a season-ending injury. He fractured his fibula in Week 13 against the Broncos last season, just as the rookie was breaking out, and had surgery on it the following day.
Then in April, the 25-year-old wide receiver was an innocent bystander at a private event in Sanford, Florida, when he sustained a minor gunshot wound. Dell spent a brief amount of time in the hospital but was able to return to Houston soon afterward.
“He loves this game so much. I don’t think that’s much of a question,” Texans receiver Xavier Hutchinson said. “He’s going to fight back. He’s going to come back even stronger, like he did this year. It’s only a matter of time.”