Minnesota Vikings finalize TE T.J. Hockenson's return, drop brutal injury news on Christian Darrisaw

The Minnesota Vikings have officially activated tight end T.J. Hockenson with his 21 day practice expiring. He will take left tackle Christian Darrisaw's roster spot as the Vikings have placed him on injured reserve per head coach Kevin O'Connell during his Friday press conference. Hockenson's return is a long time coming. He tore his ACL […]

Tyler Forness NFL & College Football News Writer
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Sep 19, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (7) against Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw (71) at Lincoln Financial Field.
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings have officially activated tight end T.J. Hockenson with his 21 day practice expiring. He will take left tackle Christian Darrisaw's roster spot as the Vikings have placed him on injured reserve per head coach Kevin O'Connell during his Friday press conference.

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Hockenson's return is a long time coming. He tore his ACL against the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve in the 2023 season and had to wait a month to get surgery due to the damage the MCL suffered. His return is going to be huge for the Vikings' offense the rest of the year, as it will be easier to attack on the middle of the field.

For Darrisaw, this is the first major injury he's suffered as a member of the Vikings. He has missed time with an ankle injury and concussions during his career. The circumstances of his injury are incredibly frustrating for both the team and the fanbase. The Vikings did choose to run the ball with an innocuous run play when at the three yard line with less than a minute left in the first half.

The Rams had all of their timeouts at their disposal and could have used them all to force a punt and potentially get a field goal on the ensuing drive. It wasn't a bad choice by O'Connell to run the ball, it's just football. Things happen and the Vikings were unfortunate in the result.