As T.J. Hockenson continues to recover from the knee injury he suffered last December, the Minnesota Vikings made a move on Friday that could open up the door for the Pro Bowl tight end to be added to the team's active roster.
On Friday, Minnesota announced that they decided to waive second-year defensive lineman Jalen Redmond. The Vikings parting ways with Redmond didn't exactly create a massive amount of shockwaves, especially since he can still sign with the team's practice squad. But the move is significant since it created a vacancy on Minnesota's active roster.
Hockenson is still on the Vikings' physically unable to perform list, and the team still has until October 25th to add him to their active roster. But if Friday's transaction means anything, we could potentially see Hockenson back on the field in Week 7 when Minnesota hosts the Detroit Lions for a big NFC North matchup inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
Is the departure of Jalen Redmond a sign that T.J. Hockenson is ready to return for the Minnesota Vikings?
Coincidentally, the last time Hockenson was on the field for the Vikings was when they faced the Lions inside U.S. Bank Stadium. Hockenson had to leave the matchup after a low hit by Detroit defensive back Kerby Joseph resulted in the Minnesota tight end tearing his ACL and MCL.
Before his knee injury, Hockenson was on pace to finish the 2023 campaign with over 100 catches and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season for the first time since entering the NFL in 2019.
If he is able to play in the Week 7 game against the Lions, his return should provide a big boost to a Vikings offense that hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in their last six quarters on the field.
Hockenson will also have plenty of motivation against Detroit, since they're not only the team that he used to play for, but they're also the team that ended his 2023 season earlier than expected.