Texans quarterback CJ Stroud had to gather himself when asked about Tank Dell’s terrifying injury in their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The pair connected for a 30-yard touchdown just before Dell collided with teammate Jared Wayne, who accidentally dove toward him and collided with his knee.
The wide receiver immediately held his knee as medical staff rushed onto the field, eventually carting Dell off the field and taking him to the University of Kansas Medical Center. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans later told reporters that Dell would be staying overnight at the hospital with a ‘significant’ knee injury.
After Houston lost the game, 27-19, at Arrowhead, Stroud was overcome with emotion at the postgame press conference.
‘All you can do is really pray. End of the day, God still gets the glory,’ he opened. ‘No matter what happens to me, I’ll be here cause of the grace of Jesus. The grace of who he is in my life and Tank’s life.’
‘For anything, how it goes, left or right, up or down, I always have to praise my lord and savior. It’s not easy but after that, I try to use it as motivation.’
CJ Stroud was overcome with emotion while talking about Tank Dell’s horrific knee injury
Stroud immediately fell to tears after his teammate was carted off early in the third quarter. This would be the second straight season that Dell’s campaign ended abruptly with an injury.
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.
His sophomore season is likely over with 45 receptions for 569 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games. The Texans are 9-6 on top of the AFC South with games against Baltimore and Tennessee remaining.
Stroud finished the game with 23 completions in 39 attempts for 244 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 23 yards in two carries.
Postgame, he spoke about struggling to continue playing while thanking his teammates for lifting him after Dell’s injury.
‘It’s not easy to just let it go, especially as my best friend,’ Stroud said. ‘Not easy to move on and just keep playing but I try to do as best as I could.’
‘My teammates helped me up. I appreciate these guys talking to me cause I was going through it. So I appreciate them just being there for me.’
