Getty Josh Oliver #84 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson is expected to miss the start of the 2024 season as he recovers from a torn ACL and MCL.
How much additional time Hockenson misses remains unclear. But ESPN’s Kevin Seifert speculated on August 22 that it could still be around Week 5 despite Hockenson’s appearing to progress in his rehab.
According to Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton, the battle to replace the two-time Pro Bowler, Hockenson, is among the “most important position battles” left in the NFL.
Moton expects the Vikings to turn to an in-house option, naming Josh Oliver as the victor.
“The temporary starter could get several weeks with the first-team offense led by quarterback Sam Darnold,” Moton wrote on August 22. “Last offseason, the Vikings signed Oliver to a three-year, $21 million deal. He’s most likely to take on an expanded role in Hockenson’s absence.”
Oliver, 27, was a third-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2019 draft. A broken bone in his foot ended his 2020 campaign. The Jaguars traded Oliver to the Baltimore Ravens in 2021 where he stayed through the 2022 season.
He caught 22 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns with the Vikings in 2023. And at 6-foot-5 and 259 pounds, he offers a similarly-built target to Hockenson (6-foot-4, 248 pounds).
Oliver is hardly the only option on the Vikings’ roster, though.
Josh Oliver Not Vikings’ Only Option to Replace T.J. Hockenson
GettyT.J. Hockenson #87 of the Minnesota Vikings.
Robert Tonyan, who signed with the Vikings as a free agent in May, is also an option to fill in for Hockenson. He also has a longer track record of production than Oliver or Johnny Mundt, who was a standout in training camp.
“Nonetheless, Tonyan is more of a pass-catching threat than Oliver and Mundt with 148 receptions for 1,549 yards and 17 touchdowns in six seasons,” Moton writes. “Based on the game plan, either Oliver or Tonyan could take the field for the first snap with the offense. The former played 42 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in the previous campaign.”
However, Tonyan has missed the preseason with back spasms suffered on July 31. He returned to practice in a limited capacity on August 20, per the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling.
Mundt has not been targeted in his lone game of preseason action.
Veteran Nick Muse leads the team through two games with four receptions for 34 yards in the preseason. But he is listed as the Vikings’ fourth-string tight end on the most recent depth chart along with Sammis Reyes, who has also appeared in one of the Vikings’ preseason contests.
Roster Cutdown Day Should Bring Clarity to Vikings’ Depth Chart
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
Tonyan is listed as a co-starter with Hockenson on the depth chart while Oliver and converted wide receiver N’Keal Harry are listed as co-second-string options.
Mundt is alone in the third-string slot.
The Vikings also claimed former New England Patriots undrafted free agent tight end Neal Johnson Jr. off waivers from the New York Jets on August 21. Roster cutdown day – August 27 – should provide more clarity.
The Vikings used four tight ends in 2023 between Hockenson, Mundt, Muse, and Oliver. They could opt to roll with the same group to start 2024 knowing Hocknson is due to return.
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$21 Million Backup Expected to Fill In for Vikings Pro Bowler