For weeks, Texans wide receiver Tank Dell has been training independently and not participating in practice with his teammates.
Dell was limited in practice previously at training camp as he continues his comeback from a major knee injury suffered while catching a touchdown pass against the Kansas City Chiefs two seasons ago. He sustained a dislocated knee, a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a torn medial collateral ligament and a torn lateral collateral ligament and underwent two surgeries performed by Dr. Walter Lowe.
While Dell has made a remarkable recovery, he hasn't been fully cleared for contact drills yet. Dell is beginning the season on the injured reserve-designated for return list, per a league source, meaning he has to miss at least four games before he can be activated.
Dell has looked explosive running routes at times, but the Texans don't want to take any chances of a setback to the former University of Houston star after the devastating knee injury preceded by a broken ankle and a gunshot wound as an innocent bystander at a party.
"Just be better than what I left off that Chiefs game," Dell said during training camp of his goal. "When I come back, I want to come back not like this is going to be the same. I want to come back better than where I was. That was never a question in my head. It's about trusting the work you put in. Trusting the process so that when I got out here I wasn't scared. I was talking to my doctor and he was just telling me to let loose, trust it and be you because it's 100 percent stable."
Perhaps the Texans' most surprising moves: waiving rookie wide receiver Lewis Bond and defensive tackle Naquan Jones.
Bond, a sixth-round draft pick from Boston College, had made some impressive catches throughout training camp.
Ultimately, the Texans kept wide receiverJared Wayne and released Justin Watson, Zay Jones and Sterling Shepard.
Jones had a strong preseason and camp, but is at an extremely crowded position group.
Photo: Alex Slitz / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
The versatility of Wayne and his size-speed combination helped push him over the top to make the squad after previous stains on the practice squad.
The Texans released tight end Brevin Jordan after he missed the past two season with a torn patellar tendon and a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
The Texans shuffled their offensive line Sunday during the annual roster cutdown, sending reserve interior offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson to the San Francisco 49ers and acquiring offensive tackle Nathan Thomas from the Dallas Cowboys, per league sources.
The Texans sent a 2027 seventh-round draft pick to the Cowboys to acquire Thomas, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound lineman who has played in 17 career games with four starts since being drafted in the seventh round two years ago.
The Texans picked up a 2027 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for Patterson.
The Texans are placing several players on injured reserve in addition to Dell, including cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram being designated for return with a shoulder injury.
The Texans are waived-injuring defensive tackle Kyonte Hamilton (knee) and defensive end Solomon Byrd (high-ankle sprain), per sources.
Defensive end Ali Gaye was placed on injured reserve with a major knee injury.
Offensive tackle Braden Smith is out for a few weeks with a partially torn plantar fascia injury in his foot, per a source.
That's why the Texans traded for Thomas and kept undrafted rookie offensive lineman Sam Hagen on the initial 53-man roster.
The Texans also released quarterback Brett Rypien, linebacker Jamal Hill and want him back for the practice squad along with running back Noah Whittington, Jones, Shepard, safety Kaevon Meriweather, another practice squad candidate offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston and James Neal III, defensive lineman Dominic Bailey, wide receiver Josh Kelly, safety George Odom, a former All-Pro special teams ace the team wants for the practice squad, cornerback Brandon Codrington, cornerback Bryce Hall, former University of Houston defensive end Derek Parish, tight ends Louis Hansen and Layne Pryor, wide receivers Treyvhon Saunders and Daniel Sobkowicz, cornerback Stephen Hall, running backs Owen Wright and Deuce Vaughn, linebacker Caleb Johnson, nickel Alijah Huzzie and center Eli Cox.
Several of these players will be back for the practice squad.
Backup cornerback Tremon Smith made the squad again.
Running back Jawhar Jordan (strained hip flexor) was released along with defensive end Dominique Robinson (calf). Both are regarded as healthy now after missing most of the preseason.
Cornerback Collin Wright (groin) has been cleared to practice. A Manvel graduate who went to Stanford, Wright made the squad as an undrafted rookie along with defensive end Sabastian Harsh. Harsh made the team after excelling in the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers.
Rypien, 30, has played for multiple NFL teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals last season. Rypien has previous stints with the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos.
Rypien completed 13 of 23 passes for 101 yards, one touchdown and one interception and was sacked twice in a 16-13 preseason finale loss to the Carolina Panthers on Friday night.
A former Boise State standout and the nephew of former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, Rypien has completed 58.3 percent of his career passes for 950 yards, four touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has a 2-2 record as a starter.
The Texans intend to have a third quarterback on the practice squad. It's unclear yet if that will be Rypien.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL insider for KPRC 2 and Sports Talk 790. His YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AaronWilsonSport