T.J. Hockenson’s Training Camp Absence Was Due to an Ear Infection
Josh Frey
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For around a week now, Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson has been sitting out of training camp practices.
It may have been easy to speculate that this training camp absence could be due to his contract situation, but we now know the true reason for Hockenson missing practices.
As it turns out, the Vikings tight end has been struggling with an ear infection for awhile now, and he was finally able to get back on the field on Monday for a walkthrough at practice. Hockenson spoke on the illness following the session.
“I want to be out there with the boys, obviously,” Hockenson said. “My favorite thing is playing football with the guys in the locker room and having a great time with them. So it stinks, but on the same hand I’ve got to get ready for September. And that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Luckily, while Hockenson has been out, Minnesota has plenty of depth at the tight end position to provide competition in practice. Free agent signing Josh Oliver is poised to play a big role in Minnesota’s offense this year, and Johnny Mundt is coming off the best year of his career in 2022.
That being said, it will be hard for either of them to replace the production of Hockenson. The tight end was acquired by the Vikings at the trade deadline during the 2022 season in the aftermath of Irv Smith’s ankle sprain.
Over the course of 10 regular season games with the Vikings, Hockenson caught 60 passes for 519 yards and 3 TDs. During Minnesota’s Wild Card game against the New York Giants, he caught 10 of 11 targets for 129 yards.
As a result, Hockenson was named to his second career Pro Bowl, and he enters his second year with the Vikings as one of the top tight ends in the entire league. Hopefully, Minnesota is able to reach an agreement with him on a contract extension that keeps him in a Vikings uniform for many years.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.