Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud will be without one of his most dangerous weapons for the remainder of the season.
Texans breakout star, rookie wide receiver Tank Dell suffered a fractured fibula a league source tells FanBuzz, ending his season. Ian Rapoport, of the NFL Network, was first to report the severity of Dell's injury.
Dell was hurt in the first half of the Texans' 22-17 victory over the Denver Broncos, when he was involved on a short-yardage play along the goal-line that resulted in a three-yard touchdown run by running back Dameon Pierce.
Chosen by the Texans with the No. 69 overall pick, in the third-round of April's NFL Draft out of the University of Houston, If Dell's season is in fact over, his rookie campaign would finish with 47 receptions for 709 yards with seven touchdowns. Prior to Sunday's injury, Dell had become one of Stroud's favorite targets.
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"I'm at a loss of words," Stroud told reporters after the game, when asked about Dell's injury. "You see one of your brothers put in so much work ... The one thing about Tank is that he's very unselfish. He's tough. We fight our tails off every day, and put our bodies on the line, time and time again. To see that happen, it's cold. It's not easy."
Dell will head to injured reserve, where he'll be forced to miss at least the next four weeks. It remains to be seen if he will be able to heal quickly enough to take part in any potential Texans playoff games.
"It's real hard," Texans wide receiver Nico Collins said of Dell's injury. "You don't want to see a brother go down like that. He was a big factor on this team. He's got to attack his rehab, man. It is what it is. We have to continue to be us, and continue to get better."
