CJ Stroud hits the target with a perfect delivery, connecting with Tank Dell for a touchdown pass

PITTSBURGH – Tank Dell wasn’t going to give up, fending off attempted arm tackles on his way to the end zone.

Breaking away from coverage, the Texans’ dynamic receiver caught a pass from CJ Stroud in stride for a 34-yard touchdown to open the scoring for the defending AFC South champions.

The two close friends planned the collaboration to get the first preseason action for the first-team offense off to a flying start Friday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Stroud and Dell picked up where they left off last season as rookies, renewing their passing connection at Acrisure Stadium to build an early lead.

Whether it’s in tight spaces over the middle or on long runs as an ultra-dangerous deep threat, the Texans receiver is a problem for NFL defenses. Despite being a smaller target downfield, Dell consistently shows up big and has shown toughness, body control and a dynamic ability to make circus catches that other receivers can’t. Dell is a master of every aspect of the route tree.

After a promising rookie season that ended abruptly with a fractured fibula, a healthy Dell is ready for his second NFL season. And a theme of improvement is evident around Dell. Whether it’s his increased familiarity with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s offense, his close bond and chemistry with Stroud and what he’s still learning from older players like four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs, the arrow is pointing upward for Dell and the defending AFC South champion Texans.

“I’m trying to get better everywhere,” Dell told KPRC 2 before the game. “Mentally, I know what it takes to win NFL games is very difficult. You just have to get in the rhythm, watch film every day and throughout the week and prepare. I feel stronger, faster, I feel blessed.”

Dell was on pace for 73 receptions, 1,096 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie before breaking his fibula against the Denver Broncos, ending his season with surgery to repair the damage. Even in an injury-shortened season, the 5-foot-8, 165-pound third-round draft pick out of the University of Houston broke former Pro Bowl tight end Owen Daniels’ franchise record for rookie touchdown receptions.

Four of the Texans’ receptions of at least 20 yards or more came on touchdowns by Dell. That was the third-best total in the league for a receiver with touchdowns of at least 20 yards at the time of his injury.

Dell finished the season with 47 receptions for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in just 11 games and six starts with 75 targets. In training camp, Dell was electric.

“I’m really happy to see him pick up where he left off,” Slowik said. “He plays really fast, he runs really well. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He can run for days.”

“He’s got every phase of the game, whether it’s receiving, turning, running, all that. He’s all in on it. He’s done a great job. If he keeps focusing and working, he’ll be where he wants to be.”

Dell is a key part of a dynamic receiving corps. With Diggs, acquired in an offseason trade from the Buffalo Bills, Collins, who signed a $75 million contract extension after a breakout season, and Dell, the Texans have a legitimacy to be arguably the best receiving corps in the NFL. They are firmly in the conversation with the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals.

“It’s a really cool arena,” Slowik said. “There’s a lot of things going on. Obviously, as far as players, we have players there who can perform. A lot of them are doing it right now, getting better every day, showing their best. It’s our job, as we go into the season and we go into preseason, to make sure that we put players in a position to show that to everybody. We really know what each one does really well and we have to continue to put in place where we need to improve for each one of those players and it’s been fun to see it so far.”

A year ago, Collins had 1,297 receiving yards while Diggs had 1,183, even though the Bills offense had shifted away from him. Collectively, it can be an extremely productive position.

They might even have three seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards, something that has only happened five times in NFL history. That feat hasn’t been accomplished since 2008, when Arizona Cardinals receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston all reached that milestone. The Texans have a lot of talent, and that doesn’t just include Diggs, Collins and Dell. There’s also tight end Dalton Schultz and wide receiver Noah Brown, as well as John Metchie III, Ben Skowronek, Xavier Hutchinson, Robert Woods and Steve Sims Jr.

“We’ve got a really solid group, man,” Dell said. “We’re always questioning each other. We’re going to be special. Every time you walk into a room, you want to gather information to help you in your future. I love that.”

Yes, the Texans are aware of the conversations surrounding the talented receiver group. Yes, they’re talking about it internally. And they’re not taking anything for granted. Words are words. Action is what matters.

“Certainly people around us say it, we say it ourselves,” Dell said. “But at the end of the day, we still have to play every Monday night, Sunday night and Thursday night. We have to prove it every time we step on the field. We can say it all we want, but we have to do it on the field. We’re just waiting for the moment.”

The mood has been good among the Texans throughout camp and into the offseason.

There was no sign of selfishness. On the contrary, everyone favoured the collective approach.

That includes the addition of Diggs, who has become a strong mentor to Dell and others, sharing advice on how to play the position at an optimal level.

“At the end of the day, I can’t be anybody else,” Diggs said. “I’m always going to be myself. Keep building and growing in the right direction, earning the respect of your teammates and being responsible for the plays and the new things they have going on.”

“I just agree that everybody falls into the same trap. I’m responsible first hand, I’m not going to be perfect, but let’s never coach effort and technique afterward. So I think it’s the right thing to do, not only where I am in my career, but that’s how I’ve been for a long time. I’ve always been in the lead.”

Stroud keeps things extremely simple when it comes to distributing the ball: hit the open target.

If everyone is open, connect with the man who is most open and in position to make the biggest play possible.

At Ohio State, Diggs threw passes to future NFL first-round receivers Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr. Everyone got to eat.

“That’s football,” Stroud said. “You’re open, you get the ball. I think you have to pick your poison when you play us. Who are you going to double? Who are you going to go to? You’ve got five dogs that are capable of getting the ball on any given play.

“My job is to make everyone around me better. Healthy competition is the best way to grow and get better, and I think that’s what it’s all about. You see how excited Diggs gets about Tank when he makes a play.”

Diggs put it best when he said it’s about healthy competition, recalling his time in Buffalo with receiver Cole Beasley, a veteran route runner.

“Right now, it’s practice, so there’s not a lot of balls moving around, but when they’re in the air, it’s a healthy competition of, ‘I’m open, but who’s more open?’” Diggs said. “That’s what Beasley and I were doing. We were very much about separation, I had separation, he had separation, but who’s more open? It’s who should get the ball.

“But it was like healthy competition and I think part of being a player that’s gotten to that point is a healthy paranoia of always wanting to be better. It’s like that guy on your shoulder saying, ‘You’re not good enough.’ So for me, pushing the guys around me is like, ‘I’m open. You open up.’ It’s healthy though. I find it’s positive reinforcement, positive encouragement, positive words. I say it to myself and to the people around me.”

For Dell and a Texans team led by Pro Bowl selection and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Stroud, it’s not just about defending an AFC South title. Their ambitions are to go much deeper in the playoffs for a franchise that hasn’t advanced past the AFC divisional round before and lost at this stage last season to the Baltimore Ravens.

Expectations are understandably high inside and outside the organization for a talent-laden team that includes Dell, Diggs, Collins, Dalton Schultz, Laremy Tunsil, Joe Mixon, Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Denico Autry, Azeez Al-Shaair, Christian Harris and Derek Stingley Jr.

“We’re ready,” Dell said. “We’re all excited. We know we have a goal on our backs. We have a lot of things to accomplish: the Super Bowl, the playoffs, things like that. So we’re ready to get to work.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texas and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com