With a hot start to the season at 6-1, the Minnesota Vikings have added even more firepower to their offense by trading multiple draft picks to the Detroit Lions in exchange for big tight end T.J. Hockenson.
Welcome to Minnesota, @TheeHOCK8! pic.twitter.com/OGHCKaOdG0
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 1, 2022
Hockenson will be added to a Vikings offense with Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn, and Alexander Mattison as weapons. This will only open up the field for the rest of those weapons and improve Minnesota’s run blocking, as Hockenson is known for his outstanding ability as a blocker. First-year head coach and former Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell has done a tremendous job so far in his rookie season.
The Lions selected Hockenson with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Iowa; the 25-year-old caught fifteen touchdowns to go along with over 2,000 yards in his short tenure as a member of the Lions.
The Vikings just added T.J. Hockenson — a 6’5”, 250-pound TE with elite athleticism — to an offense already featuring Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and K.J. Osborn. pic.twitter.com/QoVlXvvEM9
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) November 1, 2022
Minnesota’s starting tight end throughout the season, Irv Smith Jr., was just placed on injured reserve, so Minnesota did not want to risk being without a starting caliber tight end for a playoff run as they have one of the top records in the entire league.
The #Vikings are placing TE Irv Smith on Injured Reserve, as his ankle injury knocks him out indefinitely. TJ Hockenson steps right in. https://t.co/YX4vKTJCsV
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 1, 2022
Hockenson will likely make his Vikings debut on Sunday in Washington as the Lions play against the Commanders.
It is fascinating to see the Vikings be aggressive and try to improve their team and take advantage of the moment rather than just relying solely on their current record; they went out and made a trade for an impact-ready player for now and a potential building block for the future.
Let us know what you think about the Vikings acquiring T.J. Hockenson by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
