Is there a battle for WR3? Who steps in if TJ Hockenson is out?
Alright, we continue our series looking at every position on the Minnesota Vikings roster. Here is a dive into the receivers and tight ends and storylines we’ll be watching in July and August….The biggest story from minicamp was that Justin Jefferson signed a long-term extension that will keep him in Minnesota for the foreseeable future. That means that the only story regarding Jefferson in training camp will be his chemistry with new Vikings quarterbacks JJ McCarthy and Sam Darnold.
Prior to 2023, the veteran receiver was largely a punt return specialist. His career high in receiving was 156 yards. During training camp he was battling Jalen Reagor for the returner job but consistently ended up standing out with his route running and eventually he earned the trust of Kirk Cousins. With injuries abound, Powell ended up playing receiver more than expected and handled his duties well with 29 receptions for 324 yards and one game-winning touchdown against the Falcons.
The trust that he earned must have gone pretty far because the Vikings did not go wild in free agency in search for a new WR3 following the exit of KJ Osborn. Can Powell hold off a bevy of receivers that are coming for his job? Can he solidify himself as even more of a weapon within O’Connell’s offense than last year?The expectation for Hockenson is that he will not be able to play during the first part of the season after his ACL surgery was delayed.
With Hockenson recovering from his ACL injury, Tonyan has a good chance to make the roster if he continues to play well and could get a shot to take the starting job away from Mundt. He has a much bigger sample than Mundt and Oliver as a receiver and similarly played slot and outside receiver spots in Matt LaFleur’s offense in the same way that Hockenson does for O’Connell.The 2022 seventh-round pick made the 53-man roster following a strong camp last year.
Hockenson’s health is going to have a major effect on the offense. Whether he can surprise everyone and return early or if he misses the entire camp and start of the year will impact which players make the team and how much of a target share the TE position is going to get early in the year. It may end up being on Tonyan/Mundt/Oliver/Muse to prove that someone is capable of holding down Hockenson’s spot for an extended period of time.
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