Are Dalton and Dell Poised to Lead Texans Passing Attack?

The Texans passing attack could hinge on these two players

Tank Dell is returning a kick. He’s “sticky” and “shifty as hell.” I don’t know what the result of the play was, but it happened. Not on the field for the Texans at training camp, but on the television of linebacker Christian Harris. He was playing the video game Madden and using his rookie teammate in the game.

Why wouldn’t he? If art imitates life, Harris probably was crushing the computer or whoever was in control of the other team. That’s what Tank Dell has done in camp, with Wednesday being no different.

Three touchdowns were hauled in by Dell, and no easy catches either. He’s drawn a request from his head coach to stop tearing up the defense when he goes against his teammates. Dell stood out as the playmaker for the team in the preseason game. The rookie has impressed at every turn.

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Pairing Dell with a fellow newcomer to the offense Dalton Schultz has yielded consistent results for the Texans. Dell has been flashy. Entertaining. Schultz has been methodical. Reliable. DeMeco Ryans called him a security blanket for his quarterbacks.

These two very well could be the leaders of the passing attack for the Texans. Neither gets regularly stopped in practice. Each of them has built on their success in camp. And there is no clear-cut receiver to outshine either of them.

It isn’t ideal to have a tight end be your main weapon in the offense, unless, of course, you have Travis Kelce. Schultz is no Kelce. Only nine times has a tight end in the past four seasons eclipsed 1,000 yards. Schultz’s career high is just over 800 yards, to go along with eight touchdowns.

That would be solid, but can’t be the best receiving number on the team.

Enter Tank Dell.

The rookie possesses a simply stated but important skill for a wideout: he gets open. A lot. And the quarterbacks find him. The NFL plays a lot of zone defense, and Dell has appeared to be a zone buster in his short professional career.

Tank Dell can get to 1,000 yards. It’s about 59 yards per game. After what you have read and what we saw in the preseason game do we think Tank Dell won’t be able to average 60 yards per game? We’ve seen more than a few rookies over the past few seasons achieve the feat.

Dell and Schultz’s potential to be the go-to players in the passing offense is as much about their teammates as it is about their talents.

Robert Woods is on the wrong side of 30. Nico Collins has yet to stay healthy in the NFL. John Metchie hasn’t flashed like Dell. Noah Brown is a career depth player who sometimes has a drop problem. Xavier Hutchinson is a rookie who might not even make the roster.

Would you sign up for 1,800 yards combined between Dalton Schultz and Tank Dell? I would. In a second. Especially when the past two seasons of offense couldn’t sniff that number from the top two receivers. Now, despite my criticism of their teammates just a paragraph ago, add in a couple of solid years from Woods, Collins, and Brown and the Texans might just have a respectable air attack.

If Dalton Schultz and Tank Dell lead this team in passing to the above-desired level, a lot more people than Christian Harris will be choosing the Texans when they play Madden.

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