The Texans’ offense was supposed to be a problem for defenses in 2025—in the best way possible. C.J. Stroud? A certified baller. Nico Collins? The guy just had a couple of impeccable seasons with the team. And Tank Dell? Ooh, that’s where things get pretty messy. The wideout has been in the league for just two seasons and is already making headlines. And let’s be real—those headlines aren’t for some good reasons.

You see, Dell was supposed to be the guy making defense look silly every Sunday. For a while, he succeeded in his pursuit. But then came the week 16 game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 regular season. The guy injured his knee and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. The fans were hoping that the 25-year-old wideout will return for his third season. But nope, that’s not going to happen.

On Wednesday, Jeff Mueller, the Doctor of Physical Therapy, shared on his official ‘X’ handle that Dell is undergoing another surgery today (March 5), according to Will Kunkel of the Fox. During his week 16 matchup against the Chiefs, Dell collided with his teammate, Jared Wayne, and suffered a dislocated knee, multiple torn ligaments, and meniscus damage.

Following that, he underwent surgery to repair two major ligaments on January 15th this year. Mueller stated that the wide receiver had his MCL/LCL repaired in mid-January. Fast forward to seven weeks after his MCL/LCL repair, Dell is ready to undergo ACL reconstruction surgery. The way things are shaping up, Dell’s future with the Texans is hanging by a thread and DeMeco Ryans might not be happy with this situation.

Before attaining a career-threatening injury in the last season, Tank Dell started 10 games out of the 14 he had played. The guy caught 51 receptions, tallied 667 yards with an average of 13.1 per interception, and even racked up sweet three touchdowns.

But this isn’t his first rodeo with the injury bug. Ever since he stepped into the league, it’s been lurking around like a bad WiFi signal—always showing up at the worst possible time.

During his rookie season, Dell suffered a fractured fibula and was ruled out for the rest of his rookie season. The guy played just 11 games and recorded 709 yards with 47 receptions and racked up 7 touchdowns. And now? Well, following his knee injury, Dell’s future with the team is pretty uncertain—and we aren’t just talking about his 2025 season.

What’s next for Tank Dell after a career-threatening injury?

In the time being, we all know that Tank Dell had a rough run with injuries in his first two seasons. But the real question is—how long is he going to be out this time? Well, the Texans fans might need to brace themselves because there isn’t happy news for Dell. Let’s break down his estimated time of recovery.

According to Jeff Mueller, Dell’s ACL reconstruction surgery is scheduled for March 5, 2025. Now, considering the minimum recovery time for ACL injuries in professional athletes, it will take him 9 months to recover. That falls around early December 2025 (week 14 of the 2025 season). Moving forward, 10 months after the surgery would bring him to the final week of the 2025 regular season.

Long story short: given the severity of his ACL injury and the rehab process, it’s almost certain that Tank Dell won’t play the 2025 NFL season. Now that Dell’s injury is taking too long to recover, it’s likely that DeMeco Ryans and the Texans are going to invest heavily in their wide receiver corp. We’re yet to get a confirmation whether they will invest in the free agency or during the NFL draft.

Because let’s be real—even if Dell does return in 2026, there’s no telling if he’ll ever get back to his old explosive self. All in all, the Texans fans just need to watch the NFL 2025 season without Tank Dell.