A sickening new angle of Tank Dell’s horror knee injury has emerged, with the Houston Texans star hospitalized in Kansas City.
Dell took a 30-yard catch in early stages of the third quarter against the Chiefs but Texans receiver Jared Wayne tumbled into Dell as they both went to the ground.
Dell kept possession of the ball but was removed from the game by emergency personnel via cart with his leg immobilized in a brace. It was later revealed that Dell had dislocated his kneecap and surgery was possibility as the extent of the damage was still being established on Saturday night.
Texans quarterback CJ Stroud was visibly emotional as Dell departed, appearing to fight back tears.Â
Broadcaster NBC said on their coverage that there were certain angles on the replay that they were not going to show but one nasty angle did go out on the broadcast before the seriousness of the injury was obvious.
And now, a doctor by the name of Jeff Mueller – who often goes viral on social media with analysis of NFL injuries – shared the angle of the incident that NBC didn’t repeat after the first time.
‘FYI keep scrolling if you don’t want to see this, it’s brutal,’ Mueller wrote, before offering his view of the injury.
Tank Dell –
FYI keep scrolling if you don’t want to see this, it’s brutal.
Left Knee likely multiligament plus dislocation, risk of fracture too. Likely rushed to hospital to assess arterial risk.
pic.twitter.com/kXLjjBRHhV— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) December 21, 2024
Tank Dell’s knee injury was so bad, NBC refused to show replays from certain angles
Dell got hurt making a 30-yard catch for a touchdown for the Texans against the ChiefsÂ
‘Left Knee likely multiligament plus dislocation, risk of fracture too. Likely rushed to hospital to assess arterial risk.’
He added in a separate post: ‘Gut says no arterial involvement. But they probably still rush him over quickly to assess. Always better to be safe than sorry in these situations with significant trauma.’
Dell is currently being treated at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where the Texans have said he will stay overnight.Â
‘Tank has a significant knee injury,’ Texans coach DaMeco Ryan said after the game. ‘He will be staying here in Kansas City overnight pending further evaluation.Â
‘All our thoughts and prayers are with Tank right now. You guys have seen what he means to our entire team. It hurts to see him go down like that. He was having a fantastic game, playing really well for us.Â
‘He was in a fantastic spot and just want to keep him in our thoughts and prayers right now.’
Stroud’s emotional response to Dell getting hurt was likely in reference to the difficulties Dell has overcome to get on the field in the 2024 season.
The 25-year-old was shot in Sanford, Florida in April during the NFL offseason but sustained what the Texans said was ‘a minor wound’.
Texans quarterback CJ Stroud appeared to fight back tears when he saw Dell was hurtÂ
Dell finished his 2023 rookie season with 709 yards and seven touchdowns for the Texans.
But his year was cut short after he suffered a broken leg in an early December game against the Denver Broncos.
The Texans lost the game Saturday 27-19 to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.