All eyes are on T.J. Hockenson's impending return to the field on Sunday Night Football this week.

The Vikings tight end claims he's "bigger, stronger and faster than ever."

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell has tried to contain his enthusiasm, but he candidly said this month that he's "very, very excited about the possibility of getting T.J.'s skill set back in our offense." The anticipation is palpable.

ESPN's Kevin Seifert wrote Wednesday that Hockenson's "skills as a midrange pass vacuum" could help the Vikings offense, which has the NFL's lowest rate of plays per game (56.7), overcome its limitations.

Seifert noted that Minnesota has averaged the fewest passes (27.1) and directed the second-fewest targets (4.0) per game to its healthy tight ends. While Johnny Mundt and Josh Oliver have done well in spurts, the Vikings are eager for a wrinkle in their offense that's been absent the first eight weeks: A savvy route-runner and proven intermediate-level threat that overmatches linebackers and safeties.

Seifert explained:

The Vikings acquired Hockenson at the trade deadline of the 2022 season, and it's wild to think how tight end heavy they became in the 25 regular-season games between that moment and Hockenson's knee injury. Over that period, they targeted Hockenson 8.56 times per game, more than any tight end but Travis Kelce [by the Chiefs]. The targets were productive as well.

Ultra-productive. Hockenson snagged 155 of 213 targets (72.8%) for 1,479 yards (9.5 avg.) and eight touchdowns. He ranked second among tight ends in that span with 3.0 first downs per outing.

Vikings Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips on Tuesday noted Hockenson's completeness as a tight end, attributing the productivity to his ability to win against man or match coverage. His receiving skills are heightened by his value in the run game, which keeps defenses honest and sets up passing concepts.

Sunday will be the 315^th day since Hockenson was hit above the right knee on Christmas Eve against the Lions and suffered season-ending ACL and MCL injuries. Each step toward his return has been tracked.

Hockenson began running what appeared to be full-speed routes on a rehabilitation field during training camp, in full view of spectators, spawning external hope that he could return earlier in the season. Internally, however, the Vikings knew it was highly unlikely he would be fully cleared any time before their Week 8 game at the Los Angeles Rams, according to sources. In the end, they held him out of the Rams game to utilize the full 21-day practice window before adding him to their 53-man roster.

"You do really have to stay patient with something like this," said Hockenson, who underwent surgery on Jan. 29..

He added: "I've felt good for months now, but to actually go out there, there's data that says nine months is the key. And so just having to wait till then has been something that's been hard for me."

Seifert elaborated in his article how Vikings Vice President of Player Health and Performance Tyler Williams and his staff tried mimicking the workload of full-length practices in the early-season portion of rehabilitation so the 27-year-old tight end was close to football shape when he was designated to return.

According to Hockenson, they used RFID (radio frequency identification) technology to track all of his on-field movements, including his daily number of accelerations and decelerations and the total amount of yards run.

"I was trying to keep up with [the team] as much as I could," he said. "So if they were at 3,500 yards, I'd be trying to hit 3,500 yards. If they're at 4,000 yards, I'd be trying to hit 4,000 yards. And obviously some of that's jogging and stuff, but the majority of it is routes and speed lines. If they're at 15 [accelerations] and 15 [decelerations], and that's what I needed to get to. It is incredible how far the technology's come and how well the Vikings used that."

National Football Foundation honors Fultz

When Todd Fultz's career at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota, finished in 1990, he held program single-season and career records for receiving yards (1,148; 2,584) and receptions (77; 157).

His impact there, which also included two NCAA playoff receiving records and a team MVP award, was a launch pad for more football accomplishments for Fultz. The all-state wide receiver at Forest Lake High School earned a seat in the Minnesota Football Old Timers Hall of Fame; represented Team USA in the 1991 All-Star Bowl in Stuttgart, Germany; served in coaching roles at Forest Lake, Eden Prairie and Stillwater High Schools; and led the Minneapolis Lumberjacks to an MFL Championship as head coach.

That's hardly half Fultz's résumé – and still, it's growing.

Fultz on Wednesday was announced as one of five recipients of the 2024 National Football Foundation Chapter Leadership Awards by the NFF and College Hall of Fame. Fultz will receive the distinction during festivities at the 66^th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10 at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

"It is an incredible honor to represent the entire Minnesota football community by receiving this award from the National Football Foundation," Fultz said in an announcement. "Football has been a constant companion of mine since I was a young boy. It was a mentor during my formative years for which I am grateful."

A press release shared the following:

Fultz has been a dedicated ambassador of local, national and international football for more than four decades. Fultz became president of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation in 2018. Under his leadership, the chapter is at the forefront of innovation and creativity.

The NFF MN Chapter hosts Minnesota Football Honors, an annual television show that honors top high school, college and Minnesota Vikings award winners. Each year, in collaboration with the chapter's presenting sponsor, the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Football Honors is hosted and filmed at TCO Performance Center.

As talented of a football player as Fultz was in his day, he's made as great of an impact covering the game. Fultz has created and hosted football shows aired on MSC, FOX Sports North and Bally Sports in addition to spearheading the formation of the Minnesota Football Honors Super 6 Team, which honors six Minnesota high school seniors with the best potential to succeed at the highest levels of football.

Fultz received the 2011 NFF MN Chapter Courage Award for his efforts as a motivational speaker and author of "The Year of Little Victories," which he penned once recovered from a 2008 car accident that left him "gasping for life," and required surgeries to repair his pelvis, back, hips, legs and ankles.

The full release, which looks more at Fultz's achievements and delves into the four other winners nationwide, can be found here.