University of Houston coach Dana Holgorsen stood on the sideline during a practice at Texans’ training camp, arms folded and focused on one player in particular. That player, rookie receiver Tank Dell, caught a short pass and used his amazing quickness and explosiveness to dart in, out and around defenders – something Holgorsen saw him do hundreds of times during games and practices for the Cougars.
Like everyone who watched the 5-8, 165-pound Dell in his three seasons with the Cougars, including catching 109 passes for 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, Holgorsen is eager to see how he plays in his rookie season with the Texans. Naturally, Holgorsen is one of Dell’s biggest fans.
“The biggest thing with Tank is space,” Holgorsen said. “When he was at his best for us, he was in space. I’d move him around a lot. He was our featured guy. We had to be real creative with that because he’d be doubled all the time.”
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New Texans’ offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik should have a blast figuring out ways to get the ball to Dell when he’s got room to run. It starts Thursday night when the Texans begin preseason at New England, where C.J. Stroud will start at quarterback. Dell should get his first playing time coming off the bench.
“The Texans are going to love Tank,” Holgorsen said. “Everybody loves him. His personality is extremely infectious. He’s a great teammate, a great locker room guy. The dude just loves to be around people.
“It was really cool for him to get drafted by the Texans because he’s so comfortable in Houston. He knows a lot of people here. He knows how the city works, where everything is. It’s a natural fit to be able to stay here. His story’s unbelievable. He wasn’t supposed to play at the Division I level, but he did. Wasn’t supposed to play in the NFL, but he is. I just think the world of him.”
It’ll be up to Slowik, a first-time play-caller, to figure out ways to get the ball to Dell to maximize his strengths. Slowik has seen Dell make spectacular catches in camp and utilize his hummingbird quickness that can frustrate defensive players trying to bring him down.
“He’s extremely fun to coach,” Slowik said. “He’s an elite separator, and it shows on the (field). He wants to work. He’s always listening. I think I’ve mentioned just how hungry he is. Things you talk about he puts on tape.”
Dell lines up inside and outside. He also gets practice time returning punts. Last season, he averaged 17 yards on nine punt returns, including a 68-yard touchdown. Special teams coordinator Frank Ross might use him against the Patriots.
“Anybody who has explosive skillsets, we’d love to develop them,” Ross said. “We’d love to give them a chance to get a touch and make plays. Everyone here is familiar with Tank. (He’s) a young, twitchy, fast player. The ability to stretch and cut in space as a ball carrier (and) post-catch. If he’s able to contribute that for us, that would be great.”
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Dell is confident he can contribute in a big way. It’s what he does. It’s a matter of how soon he gets on the field and how many opportunities he receives. He’s been impressive since the start of camp making acrobatic catches in traffic and in space.
“God gave me the tools I was born with, but I still put in the work,” Dell said. “I was blessed with talent to do that, but hard work is important to me. I can get better at everything, just getting better at playing football period.”
Dell and his teammates on offense like what they’ve seen of Slowik and his system, which he brought from the 49ers.
“Coach Slow, that’s my guy,” Dell said. “He’s helped me a lot with this offense, breaking it down where we can understand it and not just giving us a bunch of stuff and telling us to learn it. He makes sure everybody understands it. That’s why we have long meetings. I feel like coach Slow has been doing a great job, and I can’t wait to get it rolling with him.”
And Texans fans can’t wait to see Dell get rolling.
“I love Houston, and I love the fans,” Dell said. “This is a great place for me. I fit in here. When I was drafted (third round), I saw the area code come on the phone, and I was so excited. I could have run to NRG Stadium. I wanted to be here with these guys, this coaching staff, this team. It was perfect for me.”
It could be a match made in Houston heaven.
(John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on Sports Radio 610 and before every practice during training camp on Texans Radio. He also writes three columns a week and does two Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.)
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