Latest news with #TankDell
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
C.J. Gardner-Johnson says facing Texans' WR room is 'like the Daytona 500'
How talented is the Houston Texans' wide receiver room going into the 2025 season? Just ask C.J. Gardner-Johnson how he feels after every practice. If you wanted speed, the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back can attest it resides at NRG Stadium. "It's like the Daytona 500," Gardner-Johnson said Wednesday. "We're running fast every play. Everybody fast. All the cars are competing for first place. We've got a fast receiver corps. I'm going to be honest, it's probably one of the fastest corps I've ever seen. But they're a dynamic group with different skill sets. They're diverse." Last season, the Texans were poised to have a trio of talented pass-catchers as the foundation for a Super Bowl-caliber roster. Nico Collins, fresh off a 1,000-yard season, was expected to be the go-to target while rookie Tank Del seemed to be an ideal speed threat to throw in on the outside. Add in the arrival of Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs and everything seemed to be trending upward. Then came the injuries. Collins missed five games with a hamstring injury in the heart of the season. Diggs, who voided the final three years of his contract, suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 and missed the rest of the campaign. Dell missed time early on and eventually was carted off after hauling in a touchdown pass from Stroud in Week 16's loss against the Chiefs. He's expected to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season because of recovery. In his place, the Texans added former Jaguars starter Christian Kirk. Collins, who is one of the best size/speed combinations at the position among league targets, once again leads the way as Stroud's security blanket. Kirk, who is entering a contract season, could be on the league's top slot receivers should he return to 100 percent health. In his last healthy season, the former Texas A&M standout had 1,108 receiving yards as the No. 1 weapon in the AFC South. Houston also used two of its first picks on the Iowa State duo Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Higgins, a 6-foot-4, 214-pound target, has similar size and testing numbers to Collins and been impressive in drills. "Smooth receiver," defensive back Jalen Pitre said of Higgins. "Like you said, he's very tall and very long, but he has every route in his arsenal. So, you definitely got to play him honest. Then, obviously, like we all would guess, when it's up in the air, he's going to go and get it. So, he's a great playmaker for us to have. I'm excited about what the future holds for him." Noel, who totaled over 1,900 receiving yards during his last two seasons in Ames, is only 5-foot-10, but he's a very explosive route-runner who can win in space and with athleticism. He led all combine wide receivers in the broad jump (11 feet, 2 inches) and tied for the lead in the vertical leap (41.5 inches). "Jaylin's already ahead of the curve just with the way he prepares and, you know, who he is as a person and as a player. Like I said, he prepares really well," Kirk said. "He's smart. And so, you know, for him, it's just, you know, going out there and playing fast, which I struggled with as a rookie." After a disappointing second season for Stroud, the Texans' offense was overhauled in the offseason. It's clear Houston loved its speed threat, so that's what fans should expect to see on Saturdays. This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson gives hilarious comp for WR room
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Analyst ranks Texans young core among the best in the NFL
Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans have done an exceptional job building a young core for their roster to make them a threat for years to come. Despite three straight losing seasons and nine combined wins with three different coaches, the crop of talent that currently calls Houston has been a blessing toward back-to-back AFC South division titles. Players like quarterback C.J. Stroud, receiver Nico Collins, edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., defensive back Jalen Pitre, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., receiver Tank Dell, cornerback Kamari Lassiter and safety Calen Bullock are the cornerstones of the team, as well as other depth pieces who could emerge in the coming years. Even more name like Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and Cade Stover could become pieces that look promising and take Houston over the top and out of the "darkhorse" conversation. SB Nation's Joseph Acosta ranked the top six young cores in the NFL heading into 2025 and put the Rams at No. 5, just ahead of the Seattle Seahawks and below the Los Angeles Rams. "You can make a legitimate argument for the Texans being higher because they hit on the QB, but slotting them here feels like a good stopping point," Acosta wrote. "Stroud is great, a throwback signal caller who throws with touch and precision. Anderson Jr. is one of the focal points of the Texans' defensive front and is due for another big campaign in 2025, and Lassiter came on extremely strong to end his rookie season. Outside of that, the young core of this team has a lot of question marks. If WR Tank Dell can come back healthy and Houston gets some production from their youth on the offensive line, they could end up much higher." Houston's lack of young offensive line depth is the most concerning part for Acosta. This group is legitimately missing a ton of options for the long haul after the trade of five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, though rookie Tay Ersery is looking the part of a promising option during the early stages of training camp. The final missing piece for the Rams' young core at defensive tackle. Right now, the Texans are rotating multiple linemen on one-year deals, but they have upside to hold down the fort for the impending season, but for the long-term, Houston should look to invest in a younger option via the draft in 2026. Having the quarterback is always a great starting point. With four members of the secondary locked up, a bona fide top 10 pass-catcher, plus a premier pass-rusher who wants to remain in Houston long-term, the key positions are filled. The rest of the roster is mostly filled out with veterans, which is a big reason why the Texans remain a true contender in the AFC once more.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon in race against time to make Week 1 with foot injury
The Houston Texans have been hit with a major blow after Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon sustained a foot injury that could see him miss the start of the season. The 29-year-old Mixon will miss 'an extended period of time' according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport and has had his foot in a walking boot. But at present, it is unclear how Mixon hurt himself. He is on the 'non-football injury list' because the issue occured in the offseason and was not sustained through playing the game. Mixon is expected to be revealuated closer to Week One, where the Texans start the season in Los Angeles against the Rams. If Mixon is struggling to make the start of the season, it would be another significant loss for the Texans. Wide receiver Tank Dell is expected to miss the entire campaign after sustaining a serious knee injury against Kansas City Chiefs last season that required multiple surgeries.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Trio of Tanks in 2026 class making fans remember their name
Nick Lucero/ There is Tank Dell and Tank Bigsby. New Seattle Seahawks defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, who spent a decade with the Dallas Cowboys, goes by Tank. Big, strong, tough guys play football so the nickname applies. But this recruiting cycle there seems to be an inordinate amount of Tanks and all of them are highly rated prospects with the genesis of their nicknames all coming from unique places. Advertisement MORE GORNEY: QB dominoes | West prospects on flip watch | Biggest storylines heading into huge recruiting weekend | Finalists beginning to crystallize for top prospects CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info There is five-star edge rusher Anthony 'Tank' Jones, the best of the bunch. The Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul's standout has Alabama leading his recruitment with Texas A&M right there and a host of other SEC suitors as well. Advertisement His story might be the best of all and the most befitting of such an apt nickname. 'My dad named me that when I was younger because I was big, slow, used to break everything,' Jones said. 'I also like broke my arm when I was younger and I didn't cry. I was always tougher, always played with big kids.' The five-star Jones is now the big kid and he's dominated at the high school level. That's why he's being so heavily pursued by powerhouses across the Southeast and beyond. James 'Tank' Carrington has not been called his first name for years since he picked up his nickname in youth football. The high three-star defensive tackle now at Irvine (Calif.) Crean Lutheran was 9 years old playing boys much older than him and still dominating. Advertisement His coach at the time, Frankie Knox, took to calling him Tank. It stuck. 'I was playing junior pee wee at nine and some kids were 11,' Carrington said. 'I was the strongest and most dominant player on the team. We went to nationals. I had played rec ball before that but my weight made me play up. 'They called me Tank cause nobody could handle me. (Knox) said in 30 years he had never seen a kid like me and I would play on Sunday. Been Tank ever since.' Those are unique stories. For Tai'Yion 'Tank' King, his is even extra special because it reminds him of his grandfather. The four-star linebacker, who has Texas A&M, Notre Dame and others heavily involved in his recruitment, was not born big. The Port Arthur (Texas) Memorial standout was only three pounds and born premature but that didn't stop his grandfather, Todd, from giving him that nickname. Advertisement 'I was a preemie when I was born, just three pounds, and when I was about 2 years old my grandpa started to call me Tank because I was strong for the kids that were my age,' King said. 'And, of course, being a preemie at birth, no one would really think about being strong like that. And the name really just stuck. "A lot of people don't know my real name and I'm cool with that. I love the name Tank so when they call my name at the football game I know I'm making my grandpa proud.'
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Texans WR Tank Dell to have ACL surgery on Wednesday
Tank Dell's next step in the recovery process is officially underway. The Houston Texans' second-year wide receiver will undergo surgery to fix his torn ACL on Wednesday morning. Dell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in mid-December against the Kansas City Chiefs, is expected to miss a majority, if not all of the 2025 season. Although it will be an extremely long road back, Dell is expected to make a full recovery, according to multiple reports. The former third-round pick will have the opportunity to resume his career at some point, likely by the 2026 season. #Texans WR Tank Dell announces he's going in for his second surgery today as he continues recovery process of injured knee. — Sam Warren (@samwarren_3) March 5, 2025 Dell posted to his Instagram on Wednesday morning ahead of the surgery, letting fans know he was in the next stage of his recovery. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned that Dell continues to rehab, but he's noticing a positive outlook toward a stronger recovery time. 'I just start with his mindset," Ryans said at the NFL scouting combine last week. "Seeing Tank around the building the past couple of weeks, seeing the shift in his mindset, seeing renewed energy, seeing Tank being the Tank that everyone knows with a smile, just excited about the recovery process." The torn ligaments mark the second major lower-body injury suffered by Dell since being drafted out of the University of Houston in 2023. During his rookie campaign, he suffered a broken leg in early December against the Denver Broncos. #Texans wide receiver Tank Dell undergoing surgery today to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament. Previously, Dr. Walter Lowe repaired his lateral collateral and medial collateral ligaments torn in December game at Arrowhead Stadium. Road to recovery continues @KPRC2 — Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 5, 2025 The Texans are expected to be in the market for at least one receiver this offseason. Several prospects have been linked to Houston in the draft while multiple free agents also come to mind. Houston has just over $9.8 million in cap space following the restructured deal of Nico Collins ahead of free agency. This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans WR Tank Dell to have ACL surgery on Wednesday
