The Hockenson Hint
It remains to be seen when T.J. Hockenson returns to the field. All we know is that his 21-day practice window was opened and that he travelled with the team to London. In theory, he could be activated in Week 7 or Week 8, but Kevin O’Connell has been somewhat tight-lipped.
If actions speak louder than words in the NFL — they most certainly do — then take heed of one of Minnesota’s recent actions: demoting tight end Robert Tonyan to the practice squad while re-signing running back Myles Gaskin to the active roster. Of course, the move could come merely out of necessity due to the Aaron Jones injury, but is there more to the story?
The Hockenson Hint and The Vikings’ TE Position
No doubt, getting Hockenson back into the offense is going to be a major boon.
Standing at 6’5″ and weighing 248 pounds, Hockenson offers some excellent size to go alongside some wonderful athleticism. He’s a dynamic weapon who will open up the middle of the field, further putting defenses in a no-win position as they seek to cover all of Minnesota’s weapons in the passing game.
Is his return imminent?
Kick it over to O’Connell for the word on Minnesota’s recent roster shuffle.
“Just to highlight just the roster move that took place,” O’Connell said, “putting Myles Gaskin back on the roster and Robert Tonyan back to the practice squad. Just with the unique nature of how we’re navigating certain aspects of the roster on game day.” The head coach explains that “both those guys have done a nice job” and said that each is “likely [to] be called upon again.”
So, O’Connell isn’t saying that Minnesota is working with a permanent adjustment. Right now, it made the most sense to swap Gaskin for Tonyan, largely due to what O’Connell goes on to discuss: the injury to RB1 Aaron Jones.
One does wonder, though, if there’s another factor within the equation. Does Hockenson make his return in Week 7? After all, Minnesota seldom rolls with just a pair of tight ends, so look for something to happen at that tight end spot before the Detroit game begins.
Ideally, the “something” in question will be that T.J. Hockenson returns, but that remains to be seen.
O’Connell went on to discuss his TE1 in the presser, describing the impact that is made by his presence: “He just provides such an incredible asset in the interior of our pass game. How he works in conjunction with our wide receivers or maybe Aaron Jones out of the backfield, where we could truly see the weapons that we envisioned once we fully got healthy.”
“Getting one of the top players, in my opinion, at the position back is always going to be a jolt for your offense,” O’Connell further elaborated.
In 2023, Mr. Hockenson was responsible for snagging 95 receptions for 960 yards and 5 touchdowns. He did so while working with no shortage of starting quarterbacks and from within an offense that didn’t have Justin Jefferson for a large stretch of the season.
The TE1 is 27.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.
