Tank Dell returns to practice three weeks after suffering gunshot wound

Tank Dell is back at the Houston Texans’ practice less than a month after being shot during an altercation in Florida.

Tank Dell was expected to be ready for the start of training camp. 

Instead, he’s ready for the start of voluntary OTAs. 

Dell, the Houston Texans breakout rookie receiver returned to practice three weeks after being shot in the leg during a mass shooting at a bar in Florida last month. He had no limitations and participated in 7-on-7 drills and individual workouts. 

“Happy for Tank to get back out there. He went through a very tragic situation,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We’re just happy that he’s here, happy that he’s back out being able to do what he loves doing and that’s playing football. It’s fun to see him running around. Being that same player he’s been before, making plays and being a dynamic player for us. Everyone is excited to see Tank.”

Dell, 24, was one of 10 people shot during an altercation at a bar during a private event in Sanford, Florida while visiting family in Daytona Beach during draft weekend. He was treated for his wounds and was later released from the hospital the following morning. 

Texans owner Cal McNair said before the Texans’ annual golf tournament that Dell had met with the team and was expected to make a full recovery. Last weekend, Dell posted to his Instagram a video of him working out and running drills at a practice facility. 

“It’s always good to see Tank back out there,” safety Jalen Pitre said. “We see the work he’s put in, all that he’s been through. It’s always inspiring to see someone fight back. He’s a true competitor, and he makes our team better.” 

The shooting was one of two things Dell was recovering from this offseason. The University of Houston product was on pace to break Andre Johnson’s rookie receiving record and finish with over 1,2000 yards before suffering a fractured fibula against the Denver Broncos in early December. 

Dell, the Texans’ third-round pick of the 2023 draft, finished with 47 catches 709 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He and Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud combined for the eighth-most passing yards for a first-year quarterback and wide receiver in league history. 

“I’m glad he’s back out there,” Pitre said. “It definitely makes me better.” 

Houston is banking on Dell to be the speed element in what could be the league’s top trio of targets entering 2024. Nico Collins, who finished eighth in receiving yards (1,297), should remain the top target as he enters a contract year. 

The Texans also traded a 2025 second-round pick acquired from the Minnesota Vikings to Buffalo for four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs. Since joining the Bills, Diggs has led the league in receptions with 445. 

Stroud, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year, is looking to build off a promising first season. With a healthy Dell, plus the return of Dalton Schultz and the addition of Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon, he could potentially double his production while remaining in the hunt for this year’s MVP. 

“He’s definitely gotten more comfortable,” Schultz said. “He’s kind of taken that next step of being a verbal guy and a verbal leader that quarterbacks in the league have to be.”