HOUSTON — If you spend time around Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell talking football with him, you quickly realize that he has genuine love and passion for the game and is willing to do whatever it takes to win.
Oh, and I must mention that he is super competitive and has the drive and determination to be the best at whatever he does. It fuels him. It keeps him on the practice field, getting in extra reps with teammates such as wide receiver John Metchie for route running techniques and defensive back Derek Stingley Jr. for defeating the opposing team’s defenses.
So, as he sat throughout the first quarter of the regular season opener against the Baltimore Ravens, Dell paced on the sidelines waiting for his opportunity to get his first action of his NFL career. The former University of Houston standout caught his first pass with 1:08 left in the second quarter, a comeback route from fellow rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud on 3 and 7 to help move the chains and produce a field goal before the end of the half.
Dell finished the day with three catches for 34 yards, but his athleticism was displayed as he averaged 11.3 yards per catch. That type of production did not go unnoticed by offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, and his job to get Dell involved in the offense this week against the Indianapolis Colts became more straightforward this week with wide receiver Noah Brown being placed on the injured reserve list with a groin injury that will cause him to miss up to four games.
“Yeah, we have four receivers we feel really good about, and we want to make sure that when we have those four receivers, we put them in the right position,” Slowik said when asked about the limited action for Dell against the Ravens. “Like I’ve been saying, they’re in a great position to do what they do best and succeed, and we feel like we did that with Tank [Dell] in the gameplan, and then now that we’re down one of those, obviously we need people to step up.”
“Next man up in the wide receiver room there, but Tank will always his [opportunities] every week, every week that he’s available, he’ll be in. He grinds, he does everything, he does [special] teams also. He definitely will be a factor.”
Slowik and Dell have been on the same page heading into the home opener against the Colts this week. With Brown out for an extended period, Dell will have his number called and be a very efficient outlet for Stroud, something he is prepared for.
“I am very excited,” Dell told the Texans Wire about more reps. “Like I have said before, ‘If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.’ I think I have been preparing well, but not only me, ‘X’ [Xavier Hutchinson] will be out there more. ‘Metch’ [John Metchie III] is back, so he will be out there as well. All of us is going to get the chance to go out there and ball. It is going to be fun.”
Despite the limited time on the field against the Ravens, Dell was still excited to play in his first regular season game as an NFL player.
“It is what I dreamed of my whole life,” said Dell with a massive smile. “I felt like I was built for it too. It was a blessing. It was fun to get out there and get my feet wet for the first time under a great coaching staff and just have fun.”
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