The Minnesota Vikings are about to have one of their best possible players back on the field at a very difficult time in the season and then lost two in a row after their 5-0 start.
Tight end TJ Hockenson has been sidelined since tearing his ACL last December, and holds the book/PUP record all season. On the other hand, now it will return. The Vikings will take advantage of the roster spot created through changing Christian Darrisaw’s vision to the injured book to Hockenson Park on the active roster on Friday, making him eligible to return as a 9-year-old against the Indianapolis Colts on “Sunday Night Football.”
“With that roster spot, TJ Hockenson has been added to the 53-man roster, and he will be ready to face Indianapolis,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said Friday. “We look forward to having TJ return to our offense. He will be a significant boost for us.”
On Monday, O’Connell said Hockenson had a chance to regain this rhythm against the Rams, but the team ultimately decided the two-time Pro Bowler couldn’t do it yet.
Hockenson has been an immense part of Minnesota’s offense since his arrival through 2022. In his 25 games with the team, the renowned tight end caught 155 passes for 1,479 yards and eight touchdowns. Per game, he averaged 2.2 more receptions (6.2 vs. 4.0) and 15.2 more yards (59.2 vs. 44) than throughout his era with the Detroit Lions, who made him a first-round pick in 2019.
Hockenson signed a four-year, $63.5 million extension shortly before last season, making him the league’s second-highest-paid finalist for a reasonable annual fee. If he regains the form that earned him that extension, the Vikings will recreate one of the league’s top pass-catching trios with Hockenson running alongside wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
