T.J. Hockenson’s Return Comes into Focus

It won’t be Week 1, but Minnesota Vikings fans may not have to wait until the middle of the season.

T.J. Hockenson’s Return Comes into Focus

That’s the word on T.J. Hockenson’s injury recovery after tearing his ACL last December. Most followers of the team have realized that Hockenson would not be a part of the lineup this Sunday at the New York Giants, but a return after four games or so feels more likely than ever.

The Athletic’s Alec Lewis opined on Hockenson’s return over the weekend: “Week 5 is a fair projection. That’s when he is eligible to return from the physically unable to perform list. His presence on the list means he can practice, and he won’t need any runway in terms of learning the system. Don’t be surprised if he suits up in London against the New York Jets.”

Detroit Lions defender Kerby Joseph, a former teammate of Hockenson’s, injured him in December with a dirty hit, ending his 2023 campaign and casting his 2024 return date into jeopardy. Without Hockenson in the first handful of games, Minnesota will turn to some combination of Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt, Nick Muse, Robert Tonyan, and N’Keal Harry.

“Hockenson is already sprinting and running routes on side fields. Had the Vikings prioritized the team over the player, they probably could have pushed him to return in these first few weeks,” Lewis added. “But from the outset, that’s not how they’ve viewed this process, even working in tandem with Hockenson’s private trainers in Nashville to establish trust.”

Hockenson was on the brink of becoming the Vikings’ first 1,000+ yard tight end in 42 years before the ACL tear in 2023. Joe Senser achieved the mark in 1981, and Hockenson fell 40 yards short. When wide receiver Justin Jefferson was injured for seven games in October and November, Hockenson was often the glue that kept the offense together.

Meanwhile, he personally commented on his recovery in July. “It’s been great, yeah. We’re running now, doing a lot of change-of-direction stuff,” Hockenson said on Bussin with the Boys.

Hockenson said he felt like a “normal person” again and added: “At the point I’m at now, I feel really comfortable about being able to come back and be the player I was and even be better. That’s huge for me.”

The show’s hosts attempted to nail down Hockenson on a tentative return date of Week 5 in London, though the veteran Viking quickly backed out of any concrete timetable. He merely insisted the recovery was trending well and in the right direction on the whole.

Ironically, Hockenson will be eligible to return for that very London game, which was also the theorized date from The Athletic.

The Vikings’ regular season gets underway this Sunday at New York, a contest Minnesota is favored to win by a point or two.

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. 

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.