Getty

Tank Dell #3 and C.J. Stroud #7 of the Houston Texans celebrate after a touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tank Dell is working hard to get back on the field for the Houston Texans, and C.J. Stroud is ready to welcome him.

The duo has shown a strong connection since they were drafted together in 2023. Stroud certainly missed Dell’s presence as the latter missed the entire 2025 season recovering from an injury he suffered during the 2024 campaign.

Dell and Stroud have participated in the early portion of the Texans’ offseason program.

Tank Dell Gets 2-Word Message From C.J. Stroud Amid Texans’ Offseason Program

Dell shared a video on his Instagram–a mash-up of clips from games, his rehab, and other training–on April 24, captioning it “When the time is right I’m walking thru da front door [hourglass emoji].”

He added “#otw,” while Stroud drew attention from fans for jumping into the comment section and saying, “We back.”

“Gods chosen one [praying hands emoji],” Will Anderson Jr. said in the comments.

Fellow wideout Xavier Hutchinson said, “Everything come back 100 fold,” while Kamari Lassiter posted, “It’s in ya blood!!!”

Dell has faced significant doubts about his ability to return to the level he was before the injury.

Texans general manager Nick Caserio has put no pressure on Dell, saying the training staff has to save the wideout from himself. Dell had been at the Texans’ facilities even before the team reconvened for the offseason program.

Dell had 667 yards and 3 touchdowns on 51 receptions in 2024, which followed a 47-709-7 line as a rookie.

Unfortunately for Dell, he also suffered a significant injury that season.

He is also in the final year of his contract, while the Texans doubled up on wide receivers in the 2025 draft. They selected Jayden Higgins in Round 2, and then doubled back for his former Iowa State teammate Jaylin Noel in the third round.

They also still have top perimeter option Nico Collins, a two-time Pro Bowler who has drawn trade interest in recent days.

Texans Maintain Faith in Beleaguered Duo

Dell and Stroud have the outside doubts that they face in common, but the Texans’ duo also has plenty of support internally. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans noted how hard Dell has worked this offseason.

He also made it clear that they are not going to rush him back.

“Don’t know if OTA’s he’ll be there, but I know he’ll be back for us at some point this year,” Ryans said, per KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson in March. “As I told Tank, it’s not a matter of getting back to OTAs just to get back, it’s just a matter of getting back in a really good spot physically to where you stay there. That’s the main thing. It’s not about how quickly he returns. It’s just about Tank returning because we saw what Tank can do, the playmaking that he provides to our entire team. Just getting him back, whenever that time is, it’s going to lift our team.”

Similarly, Ryans has supported Stroud publicly from right after his rough showing in the AFC Divisional Playoffs up to recently.

“C.J. … shows up here, he’s looking like he’s in great shape. That mindset, he’s revved up. He’s ready to go,” Ryans told reporters on April 20. “When you see a young man working the way he’s working, I know what that looks like on the other side, and it’s only positive things that can come from that.”