(SportsRadio 610) - Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik didn’t hesitate when asked about losing standout rookie receiver Tank Dell, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in Sunday’s 22-17 victory over the Broncos.
“I think everyone will kind of have the same reaction on the team to that one,” Slowik said. “It’s gut-wrenching. It hurts. It almost brings a tear – not almost – it did bring a tear to my eye. That one hurts a lot.”
The sorrow that the loss of Dell brings Slowik isn’t just about football.
It’s bigger than that.
"Just as a person, as an individual, he’s a really special kid, and it’s been a joy to have him around,” Slowik said. “It’s been a joy to have him just be part of what we’ve done this year, and really just to see a kid come in with the energy, the enthusiasm, and the hunger he has, and to display the skills that he has, but then also overcome a lot of things that people said they didn’t think he’d be able to overcome."
Those sentiments have been echoed by Dell’s teammates throughout the season.
The impact that Dell, quarterback C.J. Stroud and the rest of the rookie class made, coming in with the goal to build something special, has been felt inside of the locker room since day one.
In 11 games, Dell compiled 709 yards on 47 receptions and seven touchdowns. He was very much a part of what helped the Texans turn into one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL this season.
In fact, entering week 14, the Texans lead the league with 59 catches of at least 20 yards. Four of those league leading explosive plays were Dell touchdowns, which is the third best mark in the league for any receiver with touchdowns of at least 20 yards.
Slowik and the Texans will now have to shift focus to finding a way to keep that big-play ability as part of their arsenal with others in the receiver group.
Nico Collins, in the midst of a career year, has already emerged as the team’s leading receiver, hauling in 59 receptions for 991 yards and six touchdowns. Collins has become a dangerous option for Stroud this season because of the variety of ways he’s been used.
Collins has proven he can take the top off a defense, as well as be a reliable pass catcher in the middle of the field on crossing routes, regularly gaining valuable yards-after-the-catch. The third-year pro ranks sixth in the NFL with 431 yards after the catch.
While tight end Dalton Schultz may miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury, the Texans will have to get more consistent contributions from Noah Brown, Robert Woods and some combination of John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson.
Slowik has infused Metchie and Hutchinson into the offense sparingly this season, but has every bit of confidence in the young receivers to make an impact for a team in the hunt for their first playoff berth since the 2019 season.
“They’re all really good to elite in certain areas,” Slowik said. “They all have special traits, and we try as much as we can to play to those skills and to those traits, and we want to take advantage of those.”
Heading into Sunday's game against the New York Jets, the Texans have already been without their full compliment of receivers for nine games this season.
They’ve gone 6-3 in those games.
Noah Brown missed weeks two through five and weeks 11 and 12. Prior to suffering his season ending leg injury, Dell missed week six before playing just nine snaps this past Sunday. Robert Woods missed week eight and he, along with Collins both missed the week nine 39-37 victory over the Buccaneers. Woods and Schultz both missed the week 13 victory over the Broncos.
As it relates to both Metchie and Hutchinson, Slowik thinks both young players have traits the Texans can use down the stretch.
“We think both of those guys do some things very, very well, and we want to take advantage of that and put those guys in positions to do that,” Slowik said.
No team in the league has utilized that "next man up" mentality more than the Texans. They’ve incurred the most injuries of any team in the NFL, having had 27 different players show up on the injury report through the first 13 weeks this season.