Overview
- Dell ran full‑speed routes and caught several passes from C.J. Stroud during a limited padded practice on Wednesday, marking his first time in pads since the Dec. 21, 2024 injury.
- Head coach DeMeco Ryans said Dell is "on the right plan" and that the team will move him forward week to week based on how the knee feels rather than on a fixed timeline.
- The 2024 injury involved a dislocated knee, multiple torn ligaments, patellar tendon and meniscal damage plus vascular trauma that required emergency surgery, and Dell later had an ACL reconstruction in March 2025.
- Houston held Dell out of team 7‑on‑7 and 11‑on‑11 periods by design and shifted him to side work with a trainer after individual reps as part of a cautious, stepwise rehab plan.
- If Dell continues to progress without setbacks he could eventually factor into the Texans’ receiving room as a deep threat and chemistry partner for Stroud, but the club and Dell stress prudence over rushing him back.