T.J. Hockenson Has 'Comfortability' with Dan Campbell, Ben Johnson

Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson, entering his fourth season as a pro, is looking forward to growing a stronger relationship with head coach Dan Campbell during the 2022 campaign.

It was a point of emphasis for Hockenson during his media session on the first day of training camp Wednesday, and it makes a lot of sense. The simple reason why: The Pro Bowl tight end hasn't experienced a ton of continuity among his coaches since being drafted by the Lions in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft (No. 8 overall).

In fact, heading into the upcoming season, he's going on his third tight ends coach (Tanner Engstrand) and third offensive coordinator (Ben Johnson), and Campbell is already the second head man that he's been coached by (the first having been Matt Patricia from 2019-2020).

Fast-forward to 2022, and the University of Iowa product is feeling a sense of "comfortability" with his second-year head coach.

"Going into Year 2 with a head coach is always nice, because you build a relationship with them. You just never know who they are and what they are when they come here for the first time, and you kind of have to learn about it. Being able to have that and be able to go into a second year with that is just comfortability,” Hockenson told reporters Wednesday. “A sense of they know who you are and you know who they are, so you get to build a deeper relationship on that. And so, we’re all excited to have Dan. You guys see him, and he’s not just like that in front of the camera. He’s like that everywhere. The excitement that he has and that we all have. It trickles down for sure. We’re all just the same way."

Hockenson also had nothing but good things to say about Johnson, who has grown on the job since the Iowa native's first year as a pro.

Johnson was just an offensive quality control coach in 2019, and was Hockenson's tight ends coach the last two seasons. And, over the offseason, he was tabbed as Detroit's new offensive coordinator, replacing Anthony Lynn, who was stripped of his play-calling duties midway through last season.

It's been a huge rise for Johnson through the coaching ranks, and count Hockenson as one of the numerous Lions players that is excited about it.

"Like I’ve said before, Ben’s my guy," Hockenson said. "I’ve been with him since he was a QC (quality control coach), you know? It’s been fun to see him grow. He’s been through so many offenses and so many things. He’s seen me, too. There is a part of that. He’s seen what I can do. And, he’s seen that I can be split out by the numbers and win against a DB (defensive back). Win against a corner. That’s nice to have as your OC and have somebody that can trust in you. Yeah, we’re going to have fun with it. He’s going to let me do some things. I’m excited for it.”

Just like with Campbell, Hockenson has grown comfortable with Johnson over time. And, because of the bond he's built with him, he feels like he can talk with Johnson about anything and at any point in time.

"Like I said, he was a QC here three or four years ago, and we would sneak into the rooms and he would help me out with the offense, watching film and doing a bunch of things,” Hockenson expressed. “Now, just watching him grow and being the OC and seeing what he can do -- you always knew that. Him being my tight ends coach for two years, I knew he had this -- I mean, he has those characteristics where he can lead a team and he can lead an offense. That’s where you get excited for him. You get excited to be a part of it.

“I can go up to him and talk to him at any point, no matter what it is, because of the relationship we have. Being able to get close with his family and get close with him, just build that relationship over the past three or four years has been really cool. Just being able to see both of us grow as a player and then as a coach. Just kind of watching this thing happen has been fun.”