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Houston Texans running back Tank Dell (knee) suffered a knee injury in his team's Week 16 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. As he was catching a touchdown, he acquired the issue while falling to the ground.
He later had to be carted off the field, and multiple members of the team were visibly distraught as they looked on. Obviously, the second-year pro wasn't able to finish the contest.
Will he miss the rest of 2024, though?
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Is Tank Dell Out For The Season?
Yes, he's done for the year, and unfortunately, we may not see much of him next season either. Even if we do, he's unlikely to be anywhere near 100%. Although it was initially reported that he dislocated his kneecap, further testing revealed that he also tore his ACL. And Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans stated that he suffered additional damage.
Texans HC DeMeco Ryans says WR Tank Dell suffered dislocated kneecap, torn ACL and other damage; will undergo season-ending surgery. pic.twitter.com/wuvFdKhIAf
— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024
Those extra injuries haven't been disclosed, but he could be dealing with ailments to his other ligaments or small bone structures in his knee. The blow he took was nasty -- a teammate accidentally collided with his lower leg as he was falling down, causing Dell's leg to bend the wrong way.
Respect to Tank Dell for holding onto the ball while his leg is breaking
Tough.
— NFL Notifications (@NFLNotify) December 21, 2024
Some compound knee ligament injuries never fully heal. The human body only has so much ability to recover from serious damage. We've seen these types of issues completely derail players' careers -- Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams, for example, has never looked the same since he tore his ACL, PCL, and posterolateral corner in 2022.
It's an extremely sad development for Dell, who suffered a broken leg last season and a gunshot wound before the 2024 season. We may not see him back at 100% until 2026, since ACL tears typically take around 12 months to recover fully from, and for most players, their production doesn't get mostly back to previous levels until two seasons after their ACL damage occurred.
UPDATE: In all, Dell tore his ACL, MCL, LCL, dislocated his kneecap, and damaged his meniscus.
#Texans WR Tank Dell also suffered a torn MCL and a torn LCL, along with a torn ACL, a dislocated knee cap, and meniscus damage from his TD catch on Saturday. Per @AaronWilson_NFL
The injuries just keep piling up for Tank Dell. Prayers up. Lots of surgeries to come and a LONG… pic.twitter.com/psg8D36QAE
— Dylan Delgatto (@DDelgattoNFL) December 24, 2024
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