Tag: Houston Texans 2024

Texans WR Tank Dell speaks publicly for first time since shooting

Tank Dell is finally telling his side of the story of the incident that occurred last in Florida.

Tank Dell is finally telling his side of the story. 

Dell, who just over a month ago was shot as a bystander during an altercation at a bar while visiting family in Florida, spoke on the night during a recent interview alongside Houston Texans Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud on an episode of Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast with podcast hosts Gillie Da King and Wallo. 

During the interview, Dell mentioned that it was just a ‘wrong place at the wrong time moment‘ and that he’s thankful it wasn’t a more serious injury. 

“I went back to see my mom, I wasn’t even planning to go back and go to the little pool party or whatever, but my boy found out I was home and hit me up. He was like pull up to the party,” Dell said. “They told me there was going to be security, people getting checked at the door, stuff like that, so I said cool, it’s a good vibe and there were a lot of people that I knew in there, so it was cool. Then, that just popped off out of nowhere. It just went south out of nowhere.”

During the middle of an altercation at a private bar in Sanford, Florida, before someone opened fire into the crowd. All 10 individuals shot were given immediate medical treatment and are expected to make a full recovery. 

Surveillance footage from the club showed Dell was trying to get away from the altercation but inadvertently ran in between the two people who were arguing.

“I thought I removed myself from the situation from the little altercation of where they were fighting but I put myself in the middle of two people, and it just went crazy,” Dell said.

Stroud, who also appeared on the podcast, said he heard Dell was shot during Game 4 of the 76ers-Knicks series while in Philadelphia. While sitting courtside, a member of the Texans’ staff sent him a message, letting him know of the incident. 

“He sent like a whole long paragraph, all I remember is Tank got shot and I dropped my phone, and I started tearing up, man,” Stroud said. “When you hear that, you’re thinking the worst. First thing, I did, I just said a prayer.”

Stroud said the moment served as a moment for players to remember what type of trouble they could put themselves in when found at the wrong place.

“Sometimes when I go home, that’s where I’m comfortable at, going to the pool parties, going to the bowling alleys or the skating rinks or the house parties,” Stroud said. “This is the people I grew up with. I haven’t changed just because I got a little bit of money, but for that moment to happen that quick, it was like an eye-opening experience, not only for Tank but really for the rest of the world, athletes all around.”

Dell broke out as a rookie last season, helping Houston secure its first postseason berth since 2019. A third-round pick out of Houston, Dell caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns before suffering a season-ending leg injury in early December. 

After being on pace for over 1,000 yards last season, Dell has goals he hopes to break, including hitting the 1K marker. Anything else? Try double-digit touchdowns. 

Texans offense could reach new levels in passing attack with arrival of Stefon Diggs

The Houston Texans have six different weapons that could take over a game, including newly acquired four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs.

It’s been nearly two months since the Houston Texans acquired four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs from Buffalo and fans have been speculating his impact in the passing game.

Would the NFL’s leading receiver since 2020 take over as the new No. 1

Would his arrival ruin any conversation of a long-term agreement with Nico Collins?

How soon would Diggs be on the same page with reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud?

All those questions were answered by the final whistle late Thursday morning as voluntary OTAs ended. Diggs, who returned to Houston for the first time since workouts began, seemed comfortable fitting in whatever role was asked.

He joked with teammates. He offered advice to second-year standout Tank Dell. Even as a newcomer, Diggs looked like a veteran who knew everyone for years and was greeting friends after a long vacation.

“He’s been very successful in this league,” Texans receiver Nick Collins said. “For him to be in a room with us, just the success he had on the field is no better feeling. You can pick his brain — how he moves, how he thinks, how he comes off the line of scrimmage. Things like that go a long way.”

Everything is just on paper, but Diggs’s addition could bring the Texans’ passing attack to new heights in 2024. Yes, there’s plenty of mouths — or hands —to feed, but that didn’t deteriorate C.J. Stroud en route to an AFC South division title.

The weapons have also been upgraded and not just with Diggs. Pro Bowler Joe Mixon is starting at running back after seven seasons in Cincinnati. Dalton Schultz is back after a promising first season as Stroud’s go-to tight end. And Houston bolstered its depth with the addition of Ohio State pass-catcher and Stroud’s former teammate Cade Stover.

 

On any given day, one of six targets could be the No. 1 weapon for Stroud. For Diggs, while it might hurt his numbers, it should quench his thirst for winning, something offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has noticed early on in meetings.

“He is a lot like (Stroud) in that he will do absolutely anything necessary to win the game, whether he doesn’t have the ball (or) he has the ball in his hands,” Slowik said.

Traded for a 2025 second-round pick, Diggs is only promised one season in Houston after the franchise elected to void his final three years. He could return to NRG Stadium next offseason, but it would likely come on a team-friendly deal after the Texans dished out a three-year extension to Collins worth $72.5 million Wednesday.

Those are problems for a later date. Right now, Slowik is worried about how the seventh-ranked passing attack can elevate to top-five status. His focus is on improving the 28th-ranked rushing attack with a hopefully improved Dameon Pierce.

“We have a quarterback that really gives us no limitations in that regard,” We can do all kinds of stuff to make sure that whatever we are calling and however we use guys, we are making sure they are doing their strengths.”

Diggs also offers another element to the passing game that differs from the rest of the targets. Collins, who last season finished with over 1,200 receiving yards, wins as a big-play receiver downfield. Dell, who was on pace to total over 1,110 yards before his second-ending leg injury, has speed that forces defenders to miss in space.

And Diggs? NFL film analysts have praised his route-running skills and ability to win at the point of attack. Throw in Schutlz across the middle and Mixon out of the backfield, where’s the missing link?

“It’s going to be hard for defenses,” Collins said.

Texans announce extension with WR Nico Collins

Nico Collins has officially agreed to terms with the Houston Texans, keeping him in the AFC South through the 2027 season.

Signed, sealed, and delivered, Nico Collins is locked in with the Houston Texans for the long haul.

The Texans announced Wednesday that they have agreed to terms on a three-year extension with a maximum value of $75 million with the third-year pro. Collins, who will earn $52 million in guaranteed money, will now be under contract through the 2027 season.

A deal was always expected to get done this offseason after Collins proved his value as a legitimate No. 1 target for Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud. but the timing had to be right. General manager Nick Caserio told reporters during the scouting combine in Indianapolis that he would begin discussions with Collins’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, though it would come after free agency.

In the meantime, the asking price went up for receivers as more pass-catchers inked extensions, including Detriot’s Amon-Ra St. Brown,  Philadelphia’s DeVonta Smith and Indianapolis’ Michael Pittman Jr. The Texans also traded a 2025 second-round to the Buffalo Bills for four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs.

But Collins, Caserio’s first major hit in the draft out of Michigan in 2021, remained steadfast on his intent to return to Houston and build off a promising third season. He now will earn roughly $24 million annually per season.

“When the ball is in their hands, an explosive play is coming,” Collins told KPRC2 Sports earlier this month on the offense. “I feel like, for us, we need to continue to work on the details, continue to be us, continue to have fun and show the world what we can do. I can’t wait for it.”

The extension makes Collins, 25, the 10th-highest paid receiver in contract value and seventh-highest paid target in annual salary, just between Smith and Seatltle’s Pro Bowl target D.K. Metcalf. Last season in 15 games, he caught 80 passes for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns.

Houston believes Collins can be the next legit X-factor receiver in franchise history and live up to expectations set for Hall of Famer Andre Johnson and All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins. Much like the duo, Collins is the only other weapon to finish with over 1,2000 receiving yards in a single season.

The former Wolverine won’t be alone in Houston’s passing game this season. On top of adding Diggs, the Texans bring back rookie sensation Tank Dell, who was on pace for a 1,000-yard season before suffering a broken leg against the Denver Broncos in early December.

Dell, along with Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz, will be under contract through the 2026 season. Mixon, whom the Texans traded for earlier this offseason, agreed to terms on a three-year, $27 million extension in March.

Schultz, Stroud’s security blanket and one of the more consistent tight ends in the NFL, inked a fresh three-year extension worth $36 million before the start of free agency.

Texans sign rookie DE Solomon Byrd

Solomon Byrd has officially agreed to terms with the Houston Texans and will be headed to rookie minicamp under contract.

The Houston Texans welcomed nine new players to the roster via the 2024 NFL draft last month. Six have signed their rookie contracts ahead of Friday’s minicamp, including USC defensive end Solomon Byrd.

Byrd and the Texans agreed to terms on a four-year deal worth $4.12 million with a roughly $100,000 signing bonus, according to KPRC2 Sports’ Aaron Wilson.

Byrd, the Texans’ seventh-round pick, should compete with former TCU standout Dylan Horton as the team’s No. 5 pass-rusher behind Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Denico Autry, and Derek Barnett.

After spending four seasons at Wyoming, Byrd elected to transfer to USC for his final two years of eligibility. In 2023, he led the Trojans with 11 tackles for losses and finished third among all FBS players with four forced fumbles.

In 12 games, Byrd had 49 tackles and six sacks. He also earned an honorable-mention All-Pac-12 selection in 2023.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar is high on Byrd’s upside as a situational pass-rusher for the Texans in 2024, naming him Houston’s top ‘sleeper pick’ of the draft.

This offseason, the Texans got that much closer to a Super Bowl defense by adding Danielle Hunter to their edge-rush profile with a two-year, $49 million contract with $48 million guaranteed. Hunter is a perfect complement to Will Anderson, the reigning Defensive Rookie of the year, as Hunter’s game is about speed and bend, while Anderson is all about power to the pocket.

To double down on that speed/bend thing, Houston also selected USC end Solomon Byrd with the 238th pick in the seventh round. That pick could pay off far past its value. Last season for the Trojans, the Wyoming transfer totaled seven sacks and 41 total pressures on 320 pass-rushing reps. There’s not much to say about Byrd as a run defender, but then again, the Texans probably won’t line him up inside 20% of the time in 3-man fronts as the Trojans did for whatever reason.

With Byrd, you put him on the outside in a rotation and let him hunt… or you let him use his formidable gap quickness on stunts and games. No reason to overthink it. – Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar 

Texans owner Cal McNair drops photo to confirm new ‘H-Town’ helmet

Houston Texans owner Cal McNair made sure to drop one of the coldest photos online when confirming the new “H-Town” logo.

If you’re someone waiting for a confirmation on the latest Houston Texans logo and ‘H-Town’ helmet, owner Cal McNair just gave you the answer.

After a user posted a five-second video of a helmet on X (formerly Twitter) that fits the criteria of what the H-Town design was supposed to encapsulate, McNair elected to steer into the skid, posting a photo to social media wearing a hat with the new logo.

And just to add a bit more fun to the photo, McNair made sure his dog, Tex, was dressed up too, wearing a chain with the new “H” to confirm that new look.

Fans had mixed reviews on the helmet when the post surfaced. Some thought it was an upgrade over the previous bull logo that’s been the only design since the inaugural season back in 2002. Others weren’t as pleased as initially thought when the franchise announced last offseason it would be getting new threads for the 2024 campaign.

The helmet has a Deep Steel Blue undertone with a light blue “H” to represent “H-Town” as the primary logo with a red outline. The uniform itself has yet to be unveiled, so maybe the combination could actually end up living up to the expectations that fans envisioned from the jump.

The team’s X account got in on the fun, acknowledging the leak a few hours after it first surfaced on social with a leaky faucet GIF.

This isn’t the first time McNair and the organization have handled damage control of a leak. Last month, another user posted a photo of one of the models sporting the away jersey at the private unveiling for several fans who were given a sneak peek.

McNair took to Reddit to confirm the new look, posting a more crisp design of receivers Tank Dell and Nico Collins wearing the uniforms instead. The away designs feature the traditional Liberty white jerseys and Deep Steel blue pants.

The Texans still have two full uniforms and another jersey to release next Tuesday. One can only hope at this point there are no more surprises leading up to the launch of a new era of Houston football.