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• Vikings' T.J. Hockenson: May be targeting post-bye return

  13D ago • By RotoWire

  The Vikings are thought to be loosely targeting a return from the reserve/PUP list for Hockenson (knee) after the team's Week 6 bye, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Minnesota placed Hockenson on the reserve/PUP list upon trimming down to a 53-man roster, which rules the standout tight end out for at least the first four games of the season, but it sounds like Hockenson's return to the field could take until Week 7, after the team's bye. That makes sense considering not only Hockenson's recovery timetable, as he works his way back from right ACL and MCL tears suffered late last December, but also the Vikings' schedule. The team has an overseas Week 5 matchup against the Jets prior to the bye. Until Hockenson is cleared to retake the field, Johnny Mundt and Josh Oliver are slated to hold down the fort at the tight end position.

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• Vikings' T.J. Hockenson: Starting season on PUP list

  22D ago • By RotoWire

  Hockenson (knee) will be on the PUP list to start the regular season, ruling him out for at least the first four games, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Hockenson has been on the active/PUP list since the start of training camp and will now shift to reserve/PUP on Tuesday as teams cut their rosters down to 53 players. He won't count against that limit for at least the first four weeks of the season, which means his earliest date for a 2024 debut would be Week 5 against the Jets (Oct. 6). Hockenson had the best statistical season of his career in 2023, only to see it marred by ACL and MCL tears on a hard hit to the knee during a Dec. 24 game against Detroit. Johnny Mundt and Josh Oliver will take most of Minnesota's TE snaps until Hockenson is ready.

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• Vikings' T.J. Hockenson: Likely out for start of season

  08/09/2024 • By RotoWire

  Hockenson (knee) isn't likely to be ready for Week 1 and could miss anywhere from three to seven regular-season games, ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler reports. While previous reports perhaps came off as more optimistic, Hockenson has always faced an uphill battle to be ready for the start of the season after suffering ACL and MCL tears on Dec. 24. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said last week that Hockenson is, "very well ahead of maybe where some of the medical folks thought he would be," but also cautioned that, "a timeline exists and we're going to try to stay true to that." Hockenson remains on the active/PUP list after two weeks of training camp, and it won't come as any surprise if he heads into the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, which would rule him out for the first four games. In the meantime, TE snaps and targets seem to be up for grabs between Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt and Robert Tonyan (back).

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• Vikings' T.J. Hockenson: Ahead of schedule in recovery

  08/02/2024 • By RotoWire

  Speaking Friday, coach Kevin O'Connell said Hockenson (knee, PUP) is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a torn ACL, Joe Nelson of Sports Illustrated reports. "Every time I see him working on the side field it becomes awful tempting to ... demand answers on when we'll be able to stat implementing him maybe off the PUP list and get him a little bit of work," O'Connell said. "Whether it's just simply individual, some routes on air, start getting him some timing with our quarterbacks. ... Where he's at, albeit very well ahead of maybe where some of the medical folks thought he would be, there is an injury there that a timeline exists and we're going to try to stay true to that while also giving him opportunities to push to maybe shrink that timeline a little bit." Hockenson is just over seven months removed from tearing his ACL on Christmas Eve last year. While O'Connell is excited about his tight end's progress, smart money would still be on Hockenson starting the season on reserve/PUP, knocking him out for at least the first four games of 2024. Making it back in time for Week 1 would be unprecedented territory for an ACL recovery. Josh Oliver is expected to handle TE1 duties for Minnesota for however long Hockenson is sidelined, although Robert Tonyan could serve as formidable competition provided the back spasms he's currently dealing with don't linger.

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• Vikings' T.J. Hockenson: Officially shifts to PUP list

  07/22/2024 • By RotoWire

  The Vikings placed Hockenson (knee) on the active/PUP list Monday. The transaction confirms an announcement by coach Kevin O'Connell earlier Monday. Hockenson is eligible to come off the PUP list at any point during training camp or the preseason, once he's ready to practice, but given the timing of his late-January procedure to repair a torn ACL, the 27-year-old tight end seems like a real candidate to miss some time early in the regular season. Josh Oliver, Robert Tonyan and Johnny Mundt will be candidates to benefit from increased first-team reps as long as Hockenson remains sidelined.

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