Report: Texans Signing Nikko Remigio. Could It Ease Tank Dell’s Return Workload?
Photo of Nikko Remigio with Kansas City, via Aaron Wilson/X. Photographer not identified in the post.
The Texans are signing former Chiefs wide receiver and return specialist Nikko Remigio to their 53-man roster, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, who cited a league source Thursday. The report adds an experienced return option and raises an immediate question: could Houston reduce Tank Dell’s special-teams workload?
Wilson’s report specifies the active roster rather than the practice squad. It does not announce a change at punt returner, so Remigio taking that job—or Dell giving it up—remains a possibility rather than a confirmed decision.
What Remigio brings
Remigio’s NFL experience has primarily come on special teams. His career regular-season totals entering the reported move include 52 kickoff returns for 1,354 yards, a 26.0-yard average, and 50 punt returns for 373 yards, a 7.5-yard average. He also has three receptions for 69 yards. Wilson highlighted those career averages and receiving totals in his report; the return totals are also listed by Pro Football Reference.
This season with Kansas City, he returned 12 kickoffs for 318 yards, averaging 26.5, and 14 punts for 78 yards, averaging 5.6. That gives Houston another player with recent experience handling both jobs, although the numbers alone do not establish that he would be an upgrade or explain exactly how the Texans intend to use him.
Could this mean fewer punt returns for Dell?
That is the natural question after Sunday’s game against the Chargers. The official gamebook records Dell muffing a punt with 1:17 left in the second quarter before recovering it himself at Houston’s 24-yard line. The Texans kept possession, but it was an uncomfortable sequence—and Dell appeared a little banged up afterward.
The Texans’ Wednesday injury report listed Dell as a limited participant with hand/shoulder issues. That listing does not establish that either issue came from the punt play, and it should not be treated as a diagnosis of what happened on the field. It does add context to the concern about extra return work for a receiver whose offensive role is growing.
Some fans replying to our post about the reported signing wanted Dell relieved of punt duties, pointing to the desire to keep him healthy. Remigio’s arrival would give Houston another option, but there is also a football argument for continuing to put the ball in Dell’s hands.
Special teams coordinator Frank Ross made that case in Thursday’s availability, saying he favors giving playmakers as many opportunities with the ball as possible. Here is the clip shared by Houston Stressans:
That is the balance for Houston: Dell’s ability to create a big play against the value of having someone else handle those opportunities and the contact that comes with them. Remigio’s reported signing makes a lighter return workload for Dell worth watching. It does not yet confirm that a change is coming.
Reporting credit: Aaron Wilson, KPRC 2. Signing status and roster destination are attributed to his November 12 report. Return statistics are regular-season figures; postseason returns are excluded.
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