Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson will return to practice Friday in London

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said T.J. Hockenson will travel with the team to London and will practice on Friday, opening the tight end’s 21-day window to be activated from injured reserve.

“Twenty-one days from Friday gives us the bye week and two games with us playing on Thursday the second week after the bye,” O’Connell said Wednesday. “That gives us the flexibility at 20 days to have him ready to go. We’ll see where he’s at for the Lions game [Oct. 20] and then we have the flexibility for the following game” against the Rams on Oct. 24.

Hockenson tore the ACL in his right knee against the Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium on Dec. 24. He did not have surgery until Jan. 29 so that damage to his MCL, which did not require repair, could heal. If he plays against the Lions or Rams, he will have made it back to the field in 10 months.

“He’s done a great job; he feels great,” O’Connell said. “But we got to get him acclimated back to football. That’s kind of the plan. It’s going to be great to have him back on the grass with the guys. Looking forward to it.”

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Hockenson said he feels great, but will continue to let the Vikings’ medical staff decide when he’s ready for the next steps that ultimately will lead to his return to game-day action.

“I told them at the beginning, I’m kind of a workhorse,” he said. “Throughout this whole process, I’m going to do everything times two of what you’re going to tell me to do. You’re going to have to put the reins on me and pull me back.”

He also credited the Vikings, his family and close friends for helping him navigate the mental process in his recovery.

“Obviously, you dig into who you are as a person,” Hockenson said. “What kind of support group you have and all those things. When you’re in a dark place, you really see who those people are around you.”

O’Connell said he wanted to challenge the spot when Jalen Nailor was tackled for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Green Bay 4 with 2:21 left in Sunday’s 31-29 win at Lambeau Field.

He couldn’t because he was out of challenges. And he was out of challenges because he had used the maximum number of three, going 3-0 in the process.

“To get those three challenges and get them right and still be in that gray area before the two-minute [warning] was unique for sure,” O’Connell said. “Maybe we’ll have an addendum [rule] proposal for next year.”

By getting the first challenge right, O’Connell earned a third one. The third one, which overturned the incomplete ruling on Justin Jefferson’s great 13-yard sideline catch on third-and-12, came with 4:04 left in the game.

That meant the Vikings had 2:04 to go without a challenge before booth reviews took over in the final two minutes.

“Very rarely do you see that scenario coming up where you have three challenges that end up going the way you want them to go,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell is 9-6 on challenges in his three-year Vikings career. He’s 3-1 this year.

Inside linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., who missed the past two games because of an ankle injury, returned to practice as a limited participant Wednesday.

Akayleb Evans, replaced as a starting cornerback but now a rising leader on special teams, did not practice Wednesday because of an illness.

Also limited were tight end Josh Oliver (wrist) and receiver Brandon Powell (chest). Quarterback Sam Darnold (knee) was on the injury list but was a full participant.

Aaron Jones said he might not have become the running back he is today without Aaron Rodgers going to bat for him back in 2017. Jones was a Packers fifth-round pick out of Texas-El Paso. Rodgers, who will face the Vikings as quarterback of the Jets on Sunday, was in his 13th season with the Packers when he told coaches that Jones needed to play more.

“It was eye-opening that he was speaking up for me, especially me being a rookie,” Jones said. “He’s a future Hall of Famer. It was, ‘Wow, this is Aaron Rodgers speaking up for me.’”

Jones was inactive for his first game as a rookie. He had no carries in Weeks 2-3, played in Week 4 and started Week 5 and had 125 yards rushing and one touchdown in a 35-31 win at Dallas.

Justin Jefferson ranks among the top five receivers in touchdowns (four, tied for first), yards (358, fifth) and yards per reception (17.9, fifth).

He said he’s still learning and adjusting to the way Darnold throws the ball, but he added: “For the most part, I feel like every single ball he throws doesn’t have too much pace on it and isn’t too slow. I feel it’s the right amount of force towards it. … I feel like he understands from a receiver standpoint that we don’t like to catch a hard throw every single time. To try to make it a little bit easier on us with a little more touch.”

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