As a baby, Tank Dell’s mom gave him his nickname. Her son had a head that reminded her of a front-line offensive ground weapon. As a rookie in 2023, Dell introduced himself to the NFL as the Texans’ front-line offensive air weapon.
Last season, Dell had five catches for 145 yards and a 68-yard touchdown in his Week 3 breakout game, then battled a pair of injuries that limited him over the rest of the year, including a calf injury that ended his rookie campaign in December. This season, after the team traded for Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins became the NFL’s leading receiver, Dell’s targets have been limited.
But this week, when the Texans (6-2) visit the Jets (2-6) on Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video), Dell finds himself back among C.J. Stroud’s primary targets. With Collins (hamstring) set to miss his fourth straight game and Stefon Diggs out with a season-ending knee injury, Dell figures to get his most snaps. He’s not alone, though.
“We like the guys we have,” head coach DeMeco Ryans said Tuesday, “and our guys have been here, they’ve been working to understand how we do things, what we do. So, we are excited to see who steps up next.”
It could be Dell – who actually had three 100-yard games in eight starts last season — or it could be Xavier Hutchinson. Or, if the Jets neutralize either of those young targets, Stroud could go to his friend, John Metchie.
“Metch is considered in Year 3, but his rookie year was kind of last year with us,” said Stroud, who’s managed just 563 passing yards, four touchdown passes and a 90.2 passer rating over his last three starts without Collins. “I believe he’s playing really good ball. He made some big plays last game and is somebody who I just think needs his opps and he’ll be able to do a lot. And I’ve been able to spend a bunch of time with him. One of my best friends on the team, as you guys know.
“And Hutch is the same way. Hutch is somebody who I came in with. I’ve been throwing routes on air with him for two years straight now. And I think our connection, you could see it last week grow. And it’ll continue to do better, so I’m excited to see those boys get the opportunities.”
Joe Mixon won’t worry about his opportunities. The backbone of the Texans’ offense, Mixon has averaged 100.6 rushing yards per game since joining Houston. In last week’s win, Mixon became the first player in NFL annals with 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in four of his first five games with a team.
“Joe still has to be Joe,” Ryans said. “Nobody has to do anything extra everybody just has to continue to do their job and do their part to help our team be successful. That’s just about every guy going out executing and playing to the best of their ability. That’s all I ever ask of our guys.”
Ryans vs. Rodgers: Ryans is actually a little more than eight months younger than quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay selected Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 draft, one year before the Texans chose Ryans in the second round in ’06. During Ryans’ playing career, the two played each other just once, Dec. 7, 2008, at Lambeau Field. In a tie game, Ryans sacked Rodgers to force a fourth-quarter punt and on the ensuing possession, Matt Schaub engineered a game-winning drive, setting up Kris Brown’s 40-yard field goal with no tie remaining in Houston’s 24-21 win.
Jets to debut new kicker: New York on Wednesday placed Greg Zuerlein on injured reserve with a knee injury to his left, non-kicking leg. Zuerlein missed both an extra point and a 44-yarder in a 25-22 loss at New England last week. To replace Zuerlein, the Jets added a pair of kickers, Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader, to their practice squad. They’ll activate at least one prior to Thursday’s game. Patterson spent last season with Detroit and Cleveland.
A Will to rush the passer: Thursday’s game features two of the NFL’s top four leaders in sacks. The Jets’ Will McDonald enters Week 9 ranked second in the league with eight sacks, trailing Dexter Lawrence of the Giants (nine). On the other sideline, Houston’s Will Anderson has 7½ sacks, tied for third with Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson. McDonald and Anderson are key cogs in outstanding pass defenses (New York ranks second in the league, allowing 161.1 pass yards per game; Houston is third at 164.3). Thursday’s game is the first contest in Week 9 or later pairing teams allowing 165-or-fewer pass yards per game, the first since Nov. 13, 2005, when Baltimore played Jacksonville.
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