The 2023 season ended prematurely for TJ Hockenson, who tore his ACL and MCL in a Week 16 loss to the Detroit Lions.
The Vikings tight end was injured on a play in which he took a low hit from Lions safety Kerby Joseph, and after seeing the damage those hits can cause, Hockenson wants to see the NFL step up. get rid of it.
Since offensive players are not allowed to tackle a defensive player outside of the tackle zone, Hockenson believes the rule should work the same for defensive players.
“You can’t get out of the tackle zone, so it doesn’t really make sense why these guys are able to go as low as they do,” Hockenson said Monday. “When you’re 25 yards down the field, looking at the quarterback, you have no awareness of it.”
Although Joseph’s hit ended his season, Hockenson doesn’t blame the Lions’ safety because he knows Joseph was playing by the rules.
“I really don’t think I have anything against the player as much as the fact that the league puts the defense in these positions to have to do this,” Hockenson said.
Hockenson was actually teammates with Joseph for part of the 2022 season before the Lions shipped the tight end to Minnesota.
“Obviously I wasn’t too happy about it, it’s not fun to take,” Hockenson said of the hit. “And it doesn’t necessarily depend on him as a player. I have nothing against him, I played with him in Detroit and I understand that’s kind of what they expect from you in the league. “
Defenders are already prohibited from shooting themselves in the head during a tackle, which is a rule put in place by the NFL to reduce concussions, but Hockenson said he would rather suffer a concussion instead than enduring the grueling rehabilitation that accompanies the tears. an access control list.
“I would have much rather have a concussion for two weeks than have to go through that for nine months,” Hockenson said. “It’s definitely a conversation, a different conversation.”
Less than a month after Hockenson’s injury, Rams tight end Tyler Higbee also suffered a torn ACL and MCL after suffering a low blow against the Lions and with two injuries occurring just weeks apart, Hockenson thinks this should be a sign to the NFL that it’s time to change the rules on cheap shots.
“For this to happen a few weeks later, I think it’s something the league needs to look at and see what we can do,” Hockenson said.
When a player says he would literally rather have a concussion from a torn ACL, that’s a comment that should worry the NFL. Rob Gronkowski said the exact same thing 10 years ago and if enough offensive players start complaining, the league will have to seriously think about changing the rule. The NFL banned hip-drop tackles this offseason, and now Hockenson wants to see the league ban low hits.
Not only did Hockenson miss the final two games of the 2023 season due to his injury, but there is a very good chance he will miss the start of the 2024 season. Hockenson did not undergo surgery until January 29 and if his recovery takes eight to nine months, that means he will likely miss the first few games of the 2024 season.