Your veteran Vikings tight ends look ready to fill Hockenson’s shoes

When Kevin O’Connell was hired by the Minnesota Vikings as their head coach in 2022, he hired Los Angeles Rams coach Wes Phillips as their offensive coordinator. Phillips brought with him a tight end who had 10 career catches in five seasons and was coming off a torn ACL.

Three years later, that tight end Johnny Mundt is on the verge of playing a central role in the Vikings offense to start the season.

Last year, Mundt filled in for TJ Hockenson for two games after the Pro Bowler tore his ACL. In Hockenson’s place, Mundt caught nine passes on 13 targets for 97 yards and a touchdown. The 29-year-old was set to become a free agent after 2023, but re-signed with the Vikings this offseason knowing there was a possibility he could open the 2024 season as a TE1 because Hockenson’s recovery was delayed in the first part of the offseason. . That still appears to be the case, as Hockenson hasn’t been able to practice yet and will likely need some acceleration time during the regular season.

When the Vikings signed veteran pass-catcher Robert Tonyan to go alongside Josh Oliver, it was unclear whether Mundt would still have the opportunity to show he could play a full-time tight end role. But Tonyan went down with back spasms early in camp, and Mundt emerged as a consistent target for quarterback Sam Darnold.

Now, with the season just a few weeks away, Mundt doesn’t look like just a placeholder, but rather a player Darnold could lean on heavily as he adjusts to the Vikings’ offensive scheme.

“Johnny Mundt has answered the bell every time throughout his career,” Phillips said Wednesday.

The Vikings front office explained that they saw Mundt as a tight end in college, where he caught 23 passes for 334 yards in 2016 while playing alongside future NFL star QB Justin Herbert. But the former Ram proved early that he can carve out a spot as a blocker.

“They were running a lot of spread stuff and he wasn’t in the lineup a lot,” Phillips said. “You think, ‘OK, this guy can run a little bit and he’s got good hands and blocking is going to be tough on him.’ And then he comes in and starts throwing his hands around and you realize how powerful he is.”

In 2022, Mundt played a total of 466 snaps for the Vikings and 307 of those were as a blocker, per PFF. Of his 307 tackles, 250 were in a run-blocking role. His position changed when the Vikings signed Oliver, who had been rated as the NFL’s best running back, blocking tight end while in Baltimore.

Mundt’s numbers were down most of last season, playing just double-digit reps three times before Hockenson’s injury. When Hock went down, he jumped off the bench to play 22 snaps in Week 16, 41 in Week 17 and 55 in Week 18.

“He keeps surprising you every step of the way and every time he gets an opportunity — and it’s usually been injuries and things like that — he comes in and just produces,” Phillips said. “It’s where it should be, it’s strong in the grip, it’s hard to get a hold of on the route. He does everything right. He’s a very valuable piece in our offense.”

That doesn’t mean Oliver has been cast aside. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound tight end will likely continue to play the same role he was brought in last year with a three-year, $21 million deal.

In 2023, Oliver was on the field for 467 snaps and blocked 67 percent of those plays. He was graded by PFF as the fourth best run blocking tight end in the NFL while catching 22 passes on 26 targets for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

Because he’s such a force in the run game, Phillips said opponents have to be careful when he comes off the edge. Otherwise, their smaller staff are forced to be transported.

“Generally, when you have Josh Oliver on the field, you’re going to have some kind of base defense,” Phillips said. “He is very valuable in protection. If you get him on the routes, which we like to do, he’s a gifted receiver for a man his size.. Huge catch range. It’s like climbing a mountain climbing over your back to try to break a step.”

Mixing and matching tight ends is the best way the Vikings can navigate their way through Hockenson’s absence. In 2023, Hock caught 95 passes on 124 targets and scored six touchdowns. He was very versatile in where he lined up, only playing a traditional tight end spot on the line 49% of the time, per PFF. In Mundt’s two games after Hockenson’s injury, he was in the slot a total of 24 snaps, showing little of the flexibility Hockenson possesses.

Another player who took a step forward this year during training camp and the preseason: Running back Kene Nwangwu. It was unclear if the Vikings would need to sign another running back outside of Aaron Jones and Ty Chandler, but Nwangwu shined in both games and earned more reps than ever before in the backfield during practices.

“There’s some speed guys that just try to jump (out), and I think you saw against Cleveland, where there’s also a guy that can get his foot in the ground and get you two, three, four more yards when he needs to,” Phillips said.

Nwangwu has just 27 carries for 88 yards in his career. He will be worth watching to see if he finds a role alongside Jones and Chandler after receiving more attention during camp.