T.J. Hockenson’s Return Timeline Clearing Up

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NFL: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

This past week, Minnesota Vikings’ tight end T.J. Hockenson remained on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list at the 53-man roster deadline. Hockenson now must miss, at a minimum, the first four weeks of the 2024 NFL season.

T.J. Hockenson projected to return for week five matchup in London

Hockenson’s timeline for return has been a speculated on, since the moment his injury was diagnosed. Initial reports had Hockenson missing almost half the season. As his recovery went along, he seemed to be ahead of schedule. Still, the timeline has been murky through this entire process.

Until this weekend, when Alec Lewis (The Athletic) helped us see things a bit clearer. According to the Minnesota Vikings beat writer, “don’t be surprised if [Hockenson] suits up in London”, which would be week five, a game overseas vs the New York Jets.

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.

Alec Lewis (The Athletic)

Related: Ed Ingram, Vikings Conjure Up New/Old Excuse for Training Camp Struggles

It’s been pretty clear that Hockenson’s recovery seems to be going well. He’s been seen sprinting and running on the side practice fields at TCO Performance Center during training camp. It even sounds like there was a chance he could play week one, but the Minnesota Vikings wanted to take things slowly with their star tight end.

What to expect from the start tight end when he returns

It’s still not definitive that Hockenson will return for that week five match up against the Jets. The Minnesota Vikings do have a bye week after that game, so they could opt to sit him week five to get more two more weeks of recovery. Thus, making his debut week seven at home against the Detroit Lions.

When T.J. Hockenson does return, don’t expect him to play numerous snaps either. It’s extremely likely the team eases him in slowly and to be on a snap count for a game or two. Regardless, Hockenson should still be the same player he once was.

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. 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.

Alec Lewis (The Athletic)

There’s no reason to doubt that, but it may take him some time to get back to his peak self. The good news though, it sounds like one of the best tight ends will make his return sooner rather than later heading into the 2024 NFL season.

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