T.J. Hockenson Inches Back To The Field

During his press conference yesterday, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said that the team would open on Friday the 21-day practice window for T.J. Hockenson. 

Hockenson spent the offseason, training camp, and the start of the season recovering and rehabbing from a torn ACL/MCL. On December 24, in Week 16, Detroit Lions shitback Kerby Joseph targeted and drove his helmet through Hockenson’s knee. It ended the tight end’s 2023 season and significantly altered the start of this season for the Vikings. Joseph did the same thing to Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee a few weeks later. The league should draft a rule to deal with players with no respect for their peers. Idiots like Joseph should be taken off the field for the same length of time as the players they injure. Joseph has no business being on a football field. Anyway, Hockenson did not have surgery until January 29 so that the MCL, which didn’t require repair, could heal. Even if he returns at the end of the practice window, Hockenson will have returned to the field in 10 months. The clock on the recovery from torn knee ligaments does not tick as long as it once did. 

Hockenson will travel with the team to London. It’s interesting that his first practice will be across the pond. After the international game and travel, the Vikings will have a Week 6 bye. That gives the team and player a free week before another game is played. The Vikings host the Detroit Lions on October 20. Then they play the Los Angeles Rams at Sofi four days later on Thursday night. Returning against the Lions and that shitback would be fun but the four-day turnaround that follows might be problematic. With travel, Thursday night games are really a three-day turnaround. Thanks NFL! Hockenson returning against the Rams and then having a mini-bye to recover feels more likely. October 24th would be the 20th day of the practice window. 

Through four weeks, the Vikings offense has been efficient and productive. Much of that was done without receiver Jordan Addison. All of it was done without T.J. Hockenson. Addison and Hockenson are two of the team’s four most potent playmakers. It’s exciting to imagine the Vikings offense running at full strength. I can’t wait to see it.