CBS Sports: Two of the Houston Texans’ most important players ruled out against the Jaguars, due to serious injury.
Two of the Houston Texans’ most important offensive players won’t be available for their pivotal Week 4 clash against the Jacksonville Jaguars, their division rivals.
Running back Dameon Pierce and wide receiver Tank Dell are out for the Texans.
Adam Schefter of ESPN announced the news on Twitter/X. Pierce is out with a hamstring ailment, and Dell is out with a chest issue. Dell missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday in addition to not being seen on Friday. Having missed practice all this week, it was inevitable that he would be ruled out, and in the end, that is exactly what happened.
Following the Texans’ Week 4 preseason loss to Minnesota on Sunday, Dell experienced tightness that was later determined to be a chest condition on the team’s initial injury report. The Texans’ top wide receivers, Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs, will be their primary options in Dell’s absence. Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson, Steven Sims, and John Metchie are among the other wide receivers on the squad that could be considered as backups to the top two.
The season hasn’t started off well for Dell. He has nine receptions on 17 targets for 99 yards through three games, averaging 11.0 yards per reception, and no touchdowns. Last year, the 24-year-old’s season was cut short by a broken fibula.
Pierce, 24, will miss his third straight game because he did not practice this week. He was looking forward to playing on Sunday earlier in the week, but that all changed on Friday. Joe Mixon, a top running back for the Texans, is considering participating after sitting out the game in Week 3 due to an ankle ailment. Against the Minnesota Vikings last week, Cam Akers carried the weight despite only gaining 21 yards on nine carries.
In the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Pierce was selected by the Texans with the 107th overall pick. He burst onto the spotlight in his rookie season and became well-known. Despite having his rookie season cut short, he finished with 13 games started, 30 catches for 165 yards and one touchdown, and 939 running yards and four touchdowns.
He hasn’t been able to replicate the success he had in 2022, though, since his debut season. Even though the absence of Dell and Pierce weakens the squad, the Texans are still the favorites to win. The Texans are favorites with a -5.5 line, according ESPN’s wager. Houston has a 60.8 percent chance to win the game, based on ESPN statistics.
