WATCH: Tank Dell and Cameron Johnston get heated during Texans-Steelers preseason game
When one thinks preseason, one thinks players getting up to speed but Tank Dell and Cameron Johnston brought all the heat they could as the Texans and Steelers faced off during the 2024 preseason. The wide receiver was returning a punt when he jinked around the perimeter before going out of bounds near the 50. But the punter shoved him unceremoniously, causing him to topple over and, once he got his bearings, he got up to confront him.
As Cameron Johnston and Tank Dell squared up, players from both sides congregated. It was on the Steelers' side of the field but Texans players were not shy about defending their teammates. The play was flagged and you can watch the whole exchange below.
Tank Dell gets Texans' TD as Steelers' Cameron Johnston watches former team score
Tank Dell was the beneficiary, as, unlike most other teams, he had starting quarterback C.J. Stroud playing the preseason game for the Texans against the Steelers. And while the regular season will be different, it did not look as if the NFL rookie of the year had lost a step as he zipped a ball to the wide receiver, who did well to avoid some incoming tackles, to open the scoring.
It looks like the jostling with Cameron Johnston a minute prior had really excited Tank Dell and he was still buzzing as he crossed into the endzone. The punter himself would have had mixed emotions facing the team that he played with until last season before they let him go to sign with the Steelers. Perhaps that is why there was some residual animosity against the Texans that he took out on the wide receiver.
While it is too early to make a judgment on the 2024 NFL season based on one game, both these teams were in the AFC playoffs earlier this year and would want to make sure they lay the marker for their intentions early. The Texans have solidified their defense and added a top wide receiver in Stefon Diggs. The Steelers needed to get a good quarterback to fire up the offense and acquired both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Both teams will have genuine expectations to compete for the Super Bowl in 2024, or at least move further into the postseason than they did last time around. And as the skirmish between Cameron Johnston and Tank Dell showed, neither team looks like giving an inch.