After discussing the Vikings’ acquisition of left tackle Cam Robinson and his chances of playing on Sunday night, head coach Kevin O’Connell gave updates on several other notable players in his Wednesday press conference ahead of this weekend’s primetime game against the Colts. Let’s dive in.
T.J. Hockenson was activated from injured reserve last Friday and is set to make his season debut at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday night, and it sounds like he won’t be on any sort of limited snap count in his first game since suffering ACL and MCL injuries last Christmas Eve.
“I think T.J.’s ready to play,” O’Connell said. “He’s as good as he’s really looked since we’ve gotten him here, and that’s saying something considering the impact he made right away in ’22 and then the season he was having last year at the time when he got hurt. I know he’s excited. Everybody’s excited to have him back out there. Huge part of our system and offense and organization.”
The Vikings have exercised caution in bringing back Hockenson, who is nine months removed from ACL repair surgery. He’s now had several weeks to get acclimated back into football and shouldn’t be limited at all in his return to the field.
Hockenson might not play every single snap, but it sounds like he’ll be a big part of the game plan on Sunday like he always is when healthy. Josh Oliver will remain involved in his blocking-heavy role, but Hockenson’s return means snaps will be few and far between for Johnny Mundt.
Vikings standout…
