Tank Dell injury update: The Texans WR has suffered a dislocated knee cap and could require surgery

Tank Dell suffered a bad knee injury on a touchdown catch in the Texans' Week 16 game against the Chiefs on a deep end zone play. Other players scrambled to find trainers for Dell as he lay on the ground. Dell's left leg was placed in a brace before he was carted off the field. The Texans' players were visibly shaken up after the injury. Dell will not feature in Saturday's game as Houston seeks a comeback win against Kansas City.
Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell suffered a knee injury on a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. His legs were undercut by teammate Jared Wayne, and Dell could not stand up on his own, which led to his ambulance call. Dell was taken to the University of Kansas Medical Center for a "significant" knee injury. Head coach DeMeco Ryans told him that Dell will spend the night in the Kansas City hospital for further evaluation.

"Just all our thoughts and prayers are with Tank right now ... it hurts to see him go down like that. He was having a fantastic game ... and we just want to keep him in our thoughts and prayers right now," Ryans said.
Stroud, initially struggling with speech, acknowledged his teammates for their assistance during a challenging period on the field. "All you can do is really pray ... It's not easy, but I try to use that as motivation," he said. "It's not easy to just let it go, especially that's my best friend. Not easy to move on and just keep playing, but I try to do as best as I could. My teammates helped me up ... so I appreciate those guys talking to me, you know I was going through it, so I appreciate them just being there for me.”
Dell's left leg was stabilized with a vacuum splint, preventing severe instability or fracture, from hip to foot. The team promptly diagnosed him with a knee injury. Dell's teammates, including Stroud, were seen praying and crying for him, and as he was lifted onto the ambulance, they were emotional about the scene. Houston already locked up the AFC South, so they are secure as one of the top four seeds in the AFC playoff standings. The Texans also could lose their last two games, but they could not fall below the No. 4 seed.
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Dell was drafted by the Houston Texans with the third round, 69th overall pick, in the 2023 NFL draft. In week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals, Dell had his first career-high eight passes for a career-high 149 yards and one touchdown. In week 13 against the Denver Broncos, Dell suffered a fractured fibula and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
He underwent surgery on the fibula the day after that. He finished the season with 47 receptions for 709 yards and seven touchdowns, one of the rookie leaders as of the injury. On Week 9 of the 2024 season against the New York Jets, Dell caught six passes good for 126 yards from the 21–13 loss.