The Vikings May be Even Deeper at Tight End
K. Joudry
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Much of the fan focus has been on newly-acquired T.J. Hockenson, who certainly made quite the impression in his purple debut. His 9 targets turned into 9 catches for 70 yards. Not an eye-popping yardage total, but certainly a reflection of him being heavily involved in the game plan. Well, some recent news suggested that the Vikings may be getting even deeper at tight end.
Getting Ben Ellefson back into the fold will be a positive development for Minnesota. Indeed, the depth tight end will provide a bit more blocking muscle for the Vikings. Last week, the Commanders’ formidable front had a lot of success, so adding players who can slow down the opposition’s defense is fine by me.
We shouldn’t expect to see Ellefson get too many targets, but it’s possible he picks up a catch here and there. Before getting hurt, Ellefson had 3 catches for 26 yards. So, not a dominant receiving threat, but someone who may get a catch every game or two.
Of course, Hockenson will get most of the touches. Take a look at some of his plays:
While the catches were impressive, Hockenson also did some good things as a blocker, as Mitch Massman suggests on Vikings Territory. The ability to both block well and catch very well will ensure Hockenson is getting all the snaps he can handle.
When he wants to have more than one tight end on the field (or, perhaps, when Hockenson needs a break), Kevin O’Connell can turn to Johnny Mundt and/or Ben Ellefson to help the Vikings offense. That’s a trio that Minnesota fans can be enthused about. Just imagine how things will look if Irv Smith Jr. can get back at some point.
In the meantime, we can be keeping an eye on whether Ellefson is ready to go on Sunday. If he’s unable to, then the team may look toward either Nick Muse or Jacob Hollister to be the TE3 in Buffalo.
A win over the Bills would push the Vikings to 8-1.
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