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Texans rookie WR Tank Dell makes ridiculous TD catch from the ground in preseason debut

DSprofileby:Dustin Schutte•08/10/23•

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tank dell catch
Image credit: NFL

It’s still pretty early in the NFL preseason, but Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell might be responsible for the first big catch of the year. His touchdown grab in the second quarter was pretty ridiculous. It came in Thursday’s game against the New England Patriots.

Dell looked like he was going to drop a touchdown pass from Davis Mills — and technically did. Fortunately, he kept his eye on the ball, and even though he fell down in the end zone near the sideline, he still made the play.

Below is the video of the ridiculous snag to put the Texans on the board:

Remember when coaches told you to never take your eye off the ball … in any sport? Dell showed you why that’s so important.

Dell’s catch gave the Texans a 7-3 lead in the first half of their first preseason game.

The rookie wide receiver put up big numbers for the Texans in the first half of Thursday’s game against the Patriots. He hauled in five catches for 65 yards and the touchdown grab.

Tank Dell was third-round pick for Texans

Tank Dell made his first NFL appearance in Thursday’ preseason game between the Texans and Patriots. He was a third-round selection by Houston in this year’s draft.

Dell gets to continue his football career in the same city where he played college football. The wide receiver played at the University of Houston from 2020-22 after starting his career at Alabama A&M (2018) and a one-year stop at Independence Community College.

The Texans took Dell after putting together back-to-back All-AAC seasons in 2021 and 2022. The receiver totaled 1,329 yards and 12 touchdowns on 90 catches for the Cougars during the 2021 campaign.

Dell’s numbers got even better in his final season. In 2022, he hauled in 109 receptions for 1,398 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was undoubtedly worthy of those two All-AAC first-team selections.

He ended his college career at Houston with 3,155 yards and 32 touchdowns on 228 catches.

It’s only the first preseason game but if Dell is capable of making those type of plays in the NFL, he might just carve out a roster spot for quite some time.

Houston’s game against New England is its first preseason contest of 2023. Dell and the Texans also play the Miami Dolphins (Aug. 19) and the New Orleans Saints (Aug. 27) before a Week 1 showdown with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Sept. 10.