Who is Tank Dell? What to know about the Houston Texans wide receiver
The Houston Texans lost both of their top two wide receivers for an extended period of time within the last few weeks. Headed into a "Thursday Night Football" clash with the New York Jets, the Texans' passing offense will likely lean on second-year wideout Tank Dell.
Top Houston receiver Nico Collins injured his hamstring during a Week 5 game against the Buffalo Bills. After initial reports that Collins was "day-to-day" ahead of Week 6, he was placed on injured reserve later that week, keeping him off the Texans' roster until Week 10 at the earliest.
During the Texans' Week 8 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Stefon Diggs suffered a non-contact knee injury three weeks later. After several days of evaluations, the team determined that its other top receiving target had torn his ACL and would be out for the remainder of the season.
As of Wednesday, Dell is the top receiver listed on the Texans' official depth chart going into Thursday night's game. He's also the third-most productive Houston receiver by receptions and yardage this year, behind only Collins and Diggs. He and tight end Dalton Schultz will likely be the top two pass-catching options for quarterback C.J. Stroud in Week 9.
Here's what to know about Dell:
Tank Dell stats
Dell has played seven games this season after missing the Texans' Week 4 game with a chest injury.
In those seven games, the University of Houston product has caught 24 of his 38 targets for 229 yards and two touchdowns. All of those numbers rank third (or are tied for third) among all Texans pass-catchers this season.
Since he entered the league last year, Dell has played 18 games and started 12. After fracturing his fibula, he missed the final five games of the 2023 season.
In his career, Dell's caught 71 of his 113 targets for 938 yards and nine touchdowns. He's also tallied 17 rush attempts for 81 yards.
During his final college year at Houston, Dell led the nation with 1,398 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns. His 109 receptions were second only behind Purdue's Charlie Jones (110).
Tank Dell's real name
Dell's real first name is Nathaniel.
In an interview with "The Pivot Podcast," the Texans wide receiver revealed how he got his nickname, "Tank." Host Ryan Clark asked him how he got the nickname despite his smaller stature. Dell is listed at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds.
"I had a big head. That's what it was. My momma said I had a tank head when I was younger, so she started calling me that probably when I was only like one years old" he said. "Then my friends came around, they started hearing 'Tank come here, Tank come here,' and then they picked up on it. Then, after that, this is my name now.
"I'm about to change it legally. Nathaniel, I hate it. I hate it. Do I look like a Nathaniel?"
Dell also said he's gone by "Tank" since his earliest days in elementary school.
Tank Dell injuries
Dell suffered a broken fibula during a Week 13 game against the Denver Broncos last year and missed the remainder of the season.
During the offseason, the Texans receiver suffered minor injuries from a shooting in Florida. He went to the hospital to be treated but was released the next day.
"When it first happened, I was going through it because I felt there was a lot of weight on my shoulders coming back from my [leg] injury," Dell told The Pivot Podcast. "I just felt like stuff kept happening back-to-back-to-back. I couldn't shake it, so mentally, I was kind of messed up."
The Texans' second-year receiver also missed his team's Week 4 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a chest injury but returned the following week.
Tank Dell's unique connection with C.J. Stroud
Dell's connection with his quarterback dates back to their time together at the NFL scouting combine in 2023 before either player was drafted.
Stroud threw to his future Texans partner at the combine and enjoyed their chemistry while showing off in front of scouts. Dell said that the 2023 No. 2 overall pick told him after the combine that he liked the way Dell ran routes and played football.
When Stroud became Houston's top pick in last year's draft, Dell congratulated him before texting the quarterback, "Tell them come get me." Stroud responded, "I got you. Trust me."
Ahead of Day 2 of the draft, the former Houston Cougar said he got a FaceTime call from the quarterback saying he told the Texans' front office he'd like to play with Dell. Later that day, Houston drafted him with their third-round pick.
Despite playing in only 11 games last year, Dell was second on the Texans with his seven receiving touchdowns when he and Stroud were both rookies. Now, he'll be one of Stroud's top targets, heading into a "Thursday Night Football" matchup with the Jets.