Texans’ Tank Dell promises ‘special’ CJ Stroud bounce-back after playoff meltdown

The Houston Texans seemed to have taken a step forward in 2025 and were poised for a deep playoff run, but they were once again stopped in the Divisional Round for the third consecutive season. This time, while Houston’s defense put on another elite performance, CJ Stroud faltered with four first-half interceptions in a loss to the New England Patriots.

The dreadful performance was a continuation of a concerning trend for Stroud, who threw two interceptions and fumbled five times the week before in the Wild Card Round against the Steelers. The former No. 2 overall pick took the league by storm with a stellar rookie season in 2023, but he seems to have regressed a bit in the two seasons since despite the Texans still reaching the Divisional Round.

Stroud will almost certainly be back as the starter in Houston next season, but he will take the field with plenty of questions surrounding him. Wide receiver Tank Dell, who missed the entire 2025 season with an injury, is sure that he is going to bounce back.

Tank Dell said people can say what they want about C.J. Stroud, but when they get back out there together on the field he said “It’s going to be special.” pic.twitter.com/xoHQBumgXO

— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) January 28, 2026

“People can say what they want about 7, they’re sitting on the couch typing on their computers and typing on their phones,” Dell said, via Jonathan Alexander of The Houston Chronicle. “Everybody knows who 7 is, especially in the facility. We know who he is. When we get back out there with him, it’s gonna be special.”

Stroud clearly has the talent to be one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, but he has struggled over the last two seasons as a result of bad offensive line play and zero running game to support him. As a result, his play has deteriorated, and that was on full display in the playoffs. Maybe playing with Dell, one of his top targets in 2024 before the injury, will help him get back to his rookie year level.

Houston has built a Super Bowl-caliber defense over the last couple of seasons, but DeMeco Ryans and company need the quarterback to be playing at a high level to get them over that hump. Dell is 100% confident that Stroud is going to get back to that point where he looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

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