2 min read • June 08, 2022
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Lions’ tight end T.J. Hockenson has spent his first three years knocking on the doorstep of Tight End Universities’ governing board.
He was missed immensely in the final quarter of the 2021 season after a Week 13 thumb injury and coinciding surgery prematurely ended his season.
With a whole offseason to recover, Hockenson’s thumb issue won’t carry over into 2022, and he will enter his fourth season with a high SIC health score of 96.
He is a young player and, like his tight end contemporaries, is built to withstand injuries, but will have a clean slate as his all-important contract year begins.
Hockenson’s surgery was likely to repair an avulsion type injury that involved damage to his UCL, according to the ProFootballDocs. That is similar to the injury that Joel Embiid played through this postseason.
He is already active and making diving catches at OTAs, where he is seeing his first action working alongside first-round pick Jameson Williams and free agent acquisition DJ Chark Jr.
Before the injury, the 24-year-old was on pace to set new career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, with 61, 583, and four, respectively.
He was developing into a safety blanket for Jared Goff, a role he will likely continue to play in 2022.
Hockenson didn’t miss any time in 2020, but was carted off the field with a concussion early in his rookie season and saw that 2019 campaign end early because of a Week 13 ankle sprain.
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