The Houston Texans’ season might not have been smooth sailing. But with other teams in their division struggling, they’ve managed to stay in the mix. QB CJ Stroud has had his moments. And WR Tank Dell quickly became one of the bright spots of the offense. But things took a tough turn in Week 16. During a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Dell caught a touchdown pass from Stroud and collided with his teammate, Jared Wayne. The hit left Dell with a knee injury, and just like that, his season was over.

The 25-year-old will undergo multiple surgeries to repair his knee. As Dell undergoes his first surgery, he provides the fans with a major update.

The young WR has hurt his left knee pretty badly, suffering a dislocation along with torn ACL, MCL, and LCL. And on top of that, a torn meniscus. On Wednesday, Tank Dell went through his first surgery. And just in case you’re curious about how it went, we’ve got you covered. As the young wide receiver starts his long recovery, he updated fans that his first surgery went well. Dell shared the news on his Instagram straight from the hospital.

He reposted a story originally shared by someone else, who could be a family member or close friend. The original post read, “he’s doing great. Road to recovery starts now (heart emoji).“

In the picture, we can see Tank lying on the hospital bed. For now, all we know is that Tank Dell’s first surgery was a success. There’s no word yet about when the other surgeries are scheduled. Tank Dell’s injury is pretty similar to the one Browns’ Nick Chubb suffered last year. Over the past two seasons, Dell’s had his fair share of injuries. Last season, he fractured his fibula in Week 13 against the Broncos.

Likewise, injury analyst Dr. David Chao spoke about the injury and the recovery process. Mind you, ACL injuries take time to heal!

“This is a much more difficult recovery than just an ACL. It’s a knee dislocation with three of four major ligaments torn and it’s a long road back. Unfortunately, it has to be considered career-threatening, but we all hope not career-ending. A typical recovery timetable. It would be great if he could participate at some point next season, but it’s far from guaranteed he will play at any point next season,” said a former injury analyst Dr. David Chao. 

As the WR started his long recovery battle, his teammates showed him support in a heartwarming gesture.

Houston Texans show their support for Tank Dell in a warm-up session

In 2023, when Tank Dell had to leave the season midway after fracturing his fibula, CJ Stroud creatively showed his support. You likely develop a great, unbreakable bond with your teammates as you spend half the year together. And Dell and Stroud seem to have formed a strong bond.

Last year, to show solidarity with his WR, Stroud wore a Tank Dell shirt for warm-ups before the Week 14 game against the Jets. The shirt had a bunch of pictures of Dell on it. Sadly, this season also ended early for Dell.

This time, the entire Texans army followed CJ Stroud’s lead. Stroud and the crew wore Tank Dell t-shirts during warm-ups before the game against the Chargers. Clearly, the team’s showing a lot of love for their young WR. But now, Stroud has a different take on the whole thing and isn’t into this trend anymore. 

“I don’t like it, but, I mean, I like that, but it just reminds me of, like, the funeral shirts. And, you know, that’s kind of what we do back home. I’d rather be there for somebody than just wear a T-shirt,” said Stroud in a media conference. 

We can only imagine how much the QB wants to be with his friend right now. Stroud was in tears when Dell suffered that injury, showing just how close they’ve become. Hopefully, Dell will recover quickly and be back on the gridiron with his QB next season. In the meantime, he’s probably excited to watch his teammates play in the divisional game.

The Texans and Chiefs will face off on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium. So buckle up, folks, because this weekend is going to be a wild one.