University of Houston: 'Tank Dell continues to make Houston proud!'

While the preseason doesn’t count toward anything, the Houston Texans’ 20-9 road victory over the New England Patriots provided a glimpse into a possibly bright future for rookie wide receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell. Dell, whom the Texans nabbed in the middle rounds of last spring’s National Football League (NFL) Draft, turned in a five-catch, 65-yard, one-score performance on Aug. 10, but his alma mater, the University of Houston (UH), already knew he has what it takes to succeed as a professional. 

“From his days in Cougar red to wearing the Houston Texans’ blue, Tank Dell continues to make Houston proud!” UH said in an Aug. 8 Twitter post. 

CBS Sports reports that Dell’s lone touchdown haul of the night was one he nearly lost to New England cornerback Isaiah Bolden. The Texans, who entered training camp not knowing who’ll their No. 1 wideout will be, would likely consider Dell for the position. 

"It was good to see Tank make some plays," first-year head coach Demeco Ryans said, per CBS Sports. “We've seen him make a lot of plays throughout training camp, some of these same plays, so it was good to see him do the same thing here in a game. He's going to be an explosive playmaker for us, and we look forward to him continuing to make some of those plays.”

Dell’s unofficial first NFL game helped mitigate an outing rookie signal-caller C.J. Stroud would like to quickly move on from even though it was just an exhibition. According to a report on the team’s website, Stroud, the second overall selection from Ohio State University, was under center 12 times, but had an interception and a punt to show to for it. The pass that was intercepted was intended for Dell himself, the report said.

Houston Daily previously reported that Dell sent an Instagram (IG) direct message (DM) to the Texans after his final season with UH concluded, begging the franchise to make sure he stays put in the Bayou City. Nearly six months later, Houston made a trade with the Los Angeles Rams to acquire the third-round pick that snagged Dell, the publication reported.