Houston Texans rookie receiver Tank Dell, one of the breakout players in this year’s draft class, will go on the injured reserve list after fracturing his fibula in Sunday’s win over the Denver Broncos, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.
Dell was carted off the field with what the team called an ankle injury and initially listed as questionable to return before being ruled out. Dell appeared to be rolled up on while attempting to block for running back Dameon Pierce on a 3-yard touchdown.
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Entering Sunday, the third-round draft pick out of Houston was tied for the lead among rookies with seven receiving touchdowns and ranked second among rookies with 709 yards.
What Dell’s injury means for Texans
Dell this season became the first rookie in NFL history to have at least five catches, 50 receiving yards and a touchdown in five consecutive games. He has been the go-to target of star rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud during a number of the team’s memorable late-game comebacks this season.
The two players struck up a friendship at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. When Stroud was drafted at No. 2 by the Texans, Dell texted the quarterback and told him to make sure Houston drafted the wide receiver next.
“I got you. Trust me,” Stroud told Dell, according to a report by Chancellor Johnson of KPRC in Houston.
Without Dell, Stroud will rely heavily on Nico Collins, the third-year receiver who had two 50-plus-yard catches against the Broncos in the first half Sunday. — Nick Kosmider, Broncos beat writer
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(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
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