The Houston Texans are finally taking a real step toward getting Tank Dell back on the field.
After weeks of waiting, head coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday that the team will open Dell’s 21-day practice window from injured reserve, along with offensive tackle Braden Smith and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.
"This week, we expect to open the window for Tank Dell, Braden Smith, and for Kayden McDonald," Ryans said on Monday.
For Dell, that’s the biggest development yet in a recovery that has stretched well into the 2026 NFL season. He has been out since December 2024, when he suffered a major knee injury against the Kansas City Chiefs that damaged his ACL, MCL, LCL, meniscus, and kneecap.
Since then, Houston has gone without one of C.J. Stroud’s preferred targets.
Now the Texans get a chance to see Dell back in a structured setting for the first time since training camp. That’s important because once the practice clock starts, Houston has 21 days to decide what comes next with his roster status. The options are straightforward: add him to the 53-man roster, trade or release him, or put him back on season-ending injured reserve.
The timing matters, too. If Dell’s window opens this week, the Texans would have three games to work through before the deadline hits: at Tennessee in Week 5, against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London in Week 6, and home against the New York Giants in Week 7. Houston then has its Week 8 bye at the end of October, which lines up cleanly with a possible activation after that Giants game.
If everything goes well in practice, Dell could be positioned to return to the active roster and then have the bye week to keep building toward a potential season debut against the LA Chargers in Week 9.
There’s still work to do before Dell is catching passes in a game again. But opening the practice window is the clearest sign yet that the Texans believe he’s getting close.
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