"I know they’ve done an unbelievable job" Kevin O'Connell shines praise on medical staff for T.J. Hockenson's recovery

Injuries have been a plague on the Minnesota Vikings over the past 12 months. It started with wide receiver Justin Jefferson injuring his hamstring against the Kansas City Chiefs and followed up with quarterback Kirk Cousins tearing his Achilles tendon against the Green Bay Packers just weeks later.

At the end of the season, tight end T.J. Hockenson tore his ACL and injured his MCL enough to where they couldn't do surgery until January 26. That doesn't include the injuries that decimated the cornerback position and quarterback J.J. McCarthy during the offseason and training camp. There is some potential good news for the Vikings.

Kevin O'Connell updates status of T.J. Hockenson

Everyone has questions about when Hockenson will return. The standard ACL recovery is nine months and that would put his return at the end of October. Head coach Kevin O'Connell was asked about Hockenson again on Thursday and he shined a light on the medical staff.

"I think I am like you guys probably. It looks like if there was defenders over there, he’d probably be over there getting open and catching the ball, but with an injury like T.J.’s and his importance to our organization, I’ll continue to defer, thank goodness, to the medical staff on where guys are at. I trust Tyler [Williams] and his staff. I know they’ve done an unbelievable job. I’ve credited T.J. before, but I don’t think it could be minimized just from the start of the offseason program all the way through today. The impact he’s had in meetings with those other tight ends. He’s in every single meeting. He has a voice in that room in our offensive installs as if he’s going to be participating in everything. Mentally, I love where he’s at and physically, by the looks of it that I see like you guys probably. We like where he’s at there. Now it’s just a matter of what folks, a lot smarter than me, as far as what that timeline is from a responsible standpoint, but also we know we want to get him out there as soon as we can. He’s a huge part of out team."

The Vikings are going about this process in a very calculated manner and it's great to see. O'Connell made a point to mention multiple times in the above quote that Hockenson is such a big part of the team's plans moving forward.

Taking time to allow Hockenson to fully heal is the best-case scenario for the Vikings. Right now, Hockenson is still making a positive impact by being in meeting rooms and helping his teammates.

The tough part about O'Connell's answer is that O'Connell didn't really give an answer on when Hockenson will return. That is frustrating from a fan perspective.

Once Hockenson comes back, the Vikings could arguably have the best group of weapons in the National Football League at their disposal.

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