Vikings Defender Could Be Out Longer than Expected

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The Minnesota Vikings kicked off training camp this week and plopped tight end T.J. Hockenson and cornerback NaJee Thompson on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

Vikings Defender Could Be Out Longer than Expected

Hockenson’s designation surprised no one, as the Pro Bowler is facing a lengthy recovery from a torn ACL he suffered versus the Detroit Lions in December. Thompson’s injury, on the other hand, came out of nowhere — and might linger.

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The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis shed light on Thompson’s malady on Monday, an apparent knee injury. “An unexpected PUP addition was defensive back NaJee Thompson, who started on special teams last year as a rookie,” Lewis wrote. “His absence, potentially for a considerable amount of time, leaves the special teams unit with less impact talent — especially given that some of the team’s other cornerbacks, like Akayleb Evans and Andrew Booth Jr., are not major contributors on special teams.”

Thompson didn’t play much defense as a rookie — he was on the field for one single defensive snap during the regular season — but experienced extensive action on special teams, enough to gain respect from the masses as a fan favorite.

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Losing Thompson for an extended period would spell doldrums for the Vikings’ special teams forecast — a group that scraped the bottom section of the NFL last per efficiency. Overall, in 2023, Minnesota’s special teams ranked 30th per DVOA.

It is unclear which current player would step up amid Thompson’s absence if it bled into the regular season.

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Thompson famously tweeted after the 2023 NFL Draft and joining the Vikings as undrafted free agent: “Opportunity will present itself and I will make that 53 man roster at end of the day. I know I’m the best special teams player in the country short simple and sweet … Film can’t lie! Blessed for this opportunity that’s coming to prove all other 31 teams that passed up wrong!!”

The declaration was as accurate as it was bold, and Thompson made the 53-man roster four months later.

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Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said about Thompson last summer, “It’s funny, I’ve been watching this player for quite some time now, and he lives and breathes special teams. That’s who he is at the core, and for him to finally be able to carry it over from what I saw on tape from the collegiate level to putting it on display on Thursday night only solidifies who he is as a person – the bright lights aren’t too big for him.”

Thompson was also rumored at minicamp to switch positions from cornerback to safety in 2024.

Now, fans will hope he’s ready in time for September, which feels up in the air with training camp underway.


Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL. 

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