Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson said he’s “bigger, stronger, faster” than ever as he nears the end of a nine-month recovery from torn ligaments in his right knee.
Whether the 27-year-old Pro Bowler returns Sunday against the Lions, his former team, remains to be seen. But Hockenson says he’s feeling better than ever. At least that’s what the data is telling him and the Vikings medical staff.
“It’s healed,” Hockenson said Thursday when he was limited for a second straight practice this week. “It’s stronger than ever, from tests when I was healthy last year to tests now. It’s stronger than it’s probably ever been. Now it’s just going out there and playing ball. I’ve passed every test by miles from where my ground base[line] was. I’m bigger, stronger, faster than ever. Now it’s just ready to go out there and play ball.”
“It really keeps you on track and it pushes you every single day,” Hockenson said. “Because you’re looking at the iPad and it tells you halfway through the workout, ‘Hey, you’re at 1,500 yards, we need to get another 2,000 and hit that 3,500-yard mark.’”
The only thing left for Hockenson is to regain his second nature as a blocker, route runner and receiver after missing training camp. He said he tried to keep up with the distance his teammates covered in practices while working out on his own, but that’s not the same as full practices.
“It’s like anything, you need reps,” he said. “I’ve ran the last five months on air [against nobody]. … Now it’s just going out and not worrying about all that stuff and just winning on routes and playing as well as I can out there. Kind of just forgetting about footwork and not thinking about where your feet go, and just going out there and playing football again.”
Hockenson credited the Vikings medical staff, including head trainer Tyler Williams and associate head trainer Matt Duhamel, who traveled to Nashville to visit Hockenson this offseason to observe his private workouts with friends.
