Texans’ Dell hospitalized with ‘significant’ injury

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Houston Texans wideout Tank Dell was carted off with a left knee injury after catching a touchdown pass from quarterback C.J. Stroud in the third quarter of Saturday’s 27-19 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs.

Dell was taken to University of Kansas Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center about 12 miles from Arrowhead Stadium. Coach DeMeco Ryans called it a “significant” injury and said Dell would remain at the hospital overnight for further evaluation.

“All our thoughts and prayers are with Tank right now,” Ryans said. “You guys can see what he means to our entire team”

On the Texans’ first possession of the second half, Stroud threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Dell in the end zone to make the score 17-16. But on the reception, wideout Jared Wayne collided with Dell’s lower leg and the second-year wideout out of Houston immediately grabbed his leg and barely moved.

The Texans hovered around Dell as a few players broke out into tears before his leg was placed in an air cast and he was lifted into the back of the cart. Dell was playing a major role on the day as he had a team-high 98 yards on seven catches with a touchdown.

“It hurts to see him go down like that,” Ryans said. “He was having a fantastic game.”

This is another major injury for Dell. His rookie season was cut short after he suffered a broken leg in an early December game against the Denver Broncos. Earlier in the offseason, he was shot at a private event in Sanford, Florida, where authorities said a teenage gunman injured 10 people after an altercation on April 28. Dell’s wound was minor, and he was released from the hospital shortly after the shooting.

Dell has 667 receiving yards and three touchdowns on the season.

Dell’s injury was the third major lower leg injury for the Texans in the afternoon. Earlier in the game, guard Shaq Mason suffered a knee injury in the first quarter, and safety Jimmie Ward injured his foot in the second. Ward was carted off, and Mason limped off after bodies fell on his knee but was ruled out shortly afterward.