KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Houston Texans wideout Tank Dell was carted off the field with what coach DeMeco Ryans later called a “significant” knee injury after he caught a touchdown pass from quarterback C.J. Stroud in the third quarter of Saturday’s 27-19 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dell was taken to University of Kansas Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center about 12 miles from Arrowhead Stadium.
A source told ESPN that Dell dislocated his kneecap, confirming an NFL Network report. Any other potential injuries to the knee weren’t immediately known.
Ryans said Dell would remain at the hospital overnight for further evaluation.
“All our thoughts and prayers are with Tank right now,” Ryans said. “You guys can see what he means to our entire team.”
On the Texans’ first possession of the second half, Stroud threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Dell to cut Kansas City’s lead to 17-16. But on the reception, wideout Jared Wayne collided with Dell’s lower leg deep in the end zone, and the second-year wideout out of Houston immediately grabbed his leg and barely moved.
The Texans hovered around Dell as a few players broke out into tears before his leg was placed in an air cast and he was lifted into the back of the cart. Dell was playing a major role against the Chiefs as he had a team-high 98 yards on seven catches with the touchdown.
“It hurts to see him go down like that,” Ryans said. “He was having a fantastic game.”
The injury seemed to affect the Texans’ offense on the field as much as it did emotionally. Houston had three possessions after Dell was hurt and scored only three points. The unit got the ball with 5:13 left in the fourth quarter and trailing 27-19, but after two negative plays, Stroud was sacked on third down, leading to a punt. The Chiefs’ offense subsequently picked up multiple first downs and ran out the clock to end the game.
Stroud, who broke out in tears after the injury, sent out his prayers to Dell postgame.
“It’s not easy seeing your brother go down like that,” he said.
“I’m just tore up, but at the same time, I got to be strong for him. For anything whether it goes left or right, up or down, I have to praise my Lord and savior. It’s not easy, but after [the injury] I try to use it as motivation, it’s not easy to just let it go. That’s my best friend. It’s not easy to move on and just keep playing. I tried to do the best that I could. My teammates helped me up, Joe [Mixon] helped me up and Dalton [Schultz]. I appreciate the guys just talking to me because I was going through it.”
Texans wideout Nico Collins, who finished with seven catches for 60 yards, struggled to find words to express his emotions postgame.
“That s— hurts. It hurts,” he said. “We know how much he meant to this team. But losing one of your brothers, man, it hurts. Speedy recovery for my dog. Mentally he’s going through it, but we have to keep stepping, keep climbing for him.”
Dell’s rookie season in 2023 was cut short after he suffered a broken leg in an early-December game against the Denver Broncos. Earlier this past offseason, he was shot at a private event in Sanford, Florida, where authorities said a teenage gunman injured 10 people after an altercation. Dell’s wound was minor, and he was released from the hospital shortly after the April 28 shooting.
Dell has 667 receiving yards and three touchdowns on the season.
Dell’s injury was the third major lower leg injury for the Texans in the afternoon. Earlier in the game, guard Shaq Mason suffered a knee injury in the first quarter, and safety Jimmie Ward injured his foot in the second. Ward was carted off, and Mason limped off after bodies fell on his knee but was ruled out shortly afterward.
The Texans have only three full days to recover from the loss, as they play the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day.
