T.J. Hockenson Dealing With Lower Back Stiffness, Vikings Say
It's been a strange few weeks for Vikings Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson.
For a decent amount of time now, he hasn't taken part in any team periods at practice. He comes out every day, warms up and does individual work, but then walks inside or heads to the sidelines when full-team action begins. Hockenson said early last week that he was dealing with an ear infection that was affecting his equilibrium, which is why he wasn't practicing much.
Now there's a new development. Kevin O'Connell told the media on Wednesday that Hockenson's ear is no longer issue, but that he recently reported some lower-back stiffness to the team's training staff.
"He's recovered from his ear infection," O'Connell said. "He did indeed recently come to me and Tyler (Williams) and Uriah (Myrie) — came in with some lower-back stiffness. He was off to the side today. Whether he could've gone or not if it was a game week is a different story, but with joint practice, we wanted to make sure we just kept his conditioning going. That's something he'll work through and possibly have him tomorrow or be ready to roll as we start our Tampa prep next week."
The notable context of Hockenson's situation is that he remains an obvious candidate for an extension as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. The team has spoken highly of the tight end they acquired in a trade with the Lions last November, but negotiations seemingly haven't progressed this offseason. The start of the 2023 regular season is now a little over two weeks away.
Naturally, there has been speculation that Hockenson's minimal level of activity in training camp has to do with his contract situation. The Vikings, of course, have denied that.
"My dialogue with T.J., in regards to his training camp or whatever that's looked like, has really been about the ear infection first and working through that, and then some things in some of his side-field work maybe popped up to cause some lower-back stiffness," O'Connell said when asked directly if Hockenson's absence was related to his contract. "He has not indicated to me one time that it is about that."
"I don't have any reservations about him being ready to roll for Tampa Bay," O'Connell added.
That was the same message Hockenson himself gave to reporters on Monday. He vowed to be ready for the season opener while declining to get into details beyond that.
"That's not my focus," Hockenson said when asked about his contract status. "My focus is to be out there with these guys on September (10th). It'll play out. Just focused on football right now.
"We're just taking it slow and getting me ready for the season," he added. "I'll be ready by (Week 1) for sure."
It'll be interesting to see if Hockenson returns to practice on Thursday or if his absence stretches past the end of training camp. He's expected to have a major role in the Vikings' offense this season after fitting in excellently following last season's trade.
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