Why Tank Dell is going to be a Texans superstar for years to come alongside C.J. Stroud
Tank Dell and C.J. Stroud are forming a relationship that we rarely see between two rookie players. The Houston Texans' U-turn and Stroud's good form are heavily linked to the emergence of the Texans' third-round receiver and the team now stands at 6-4.
After the Pittsburgh Steelers' loss to the Cleveland Browns, Houston continues to hold an AFC Wild Card spot as they have the tie-breaker on the Steelers.
Dell had 8 catches for 148 yards and a special touchdown in the win against the Arizona Cardinals. We saw a repeat of what happened in the victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a few weeks ago, as Stroud's deep bomb was caught by Dell, who snuck through the Cardinals' defense.
Tank Dell (659) has just moved ahead of Minnesota's Jordan Addison to earn second place in rookie receiving yards this season. The all-time start to the season for Puka Nacua puts him way ahead of the pack as Nacua nears 900 yards.
Stroud has targeted Dell over 10 times in the last three games, and with Noah Brown, Dalton Schultz and the run game finally cooking, this Texans offense is looking elite.
The Houston Texans may have just found their DeAndre Hopkins replacement. Many believed his move to the Cardinals was a bad move on the Texans' part, as Deshaun Watson was also traded out of Houston. The sun has risen and the Texans look primed to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019 with their two exciting rookies.
Expect to see C.J. Stroud throwing to Tank Dell for years to come as the Texans develop in a changing AFC South.
Tank Dell and the Texans can still win the AFC South
The AFC South is turning out to be quite entertaining and full of surprises. It was not outrageous to think that Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars would easily win the division, but that is not the case. The Texans are only one game off the division leaders and they play the Jaguars next week.
When they faced off earlier this season, it was a surprising 37-17 win for the Texans and Tank Dell had 145 yards and a touchdown in that game.
C.J. Stroud has been in a lot of MVP discussions, and for that to be possible the Texans would have to win the division. If the Texans can get the tie-breaker over the Jaguars, a relatively friendly schedule awaits them. If Houston's run game continues performing at a high level, they have a real chance of winning the division.