After landing on his head at the end of a scary fall in Sunday's game, it appears T.J. Hockenson won't miss significant time for the Lions.
Detroit will not place the rookie tight end on injured reserve, according to Adam Schefter.
Despite Lions' TE T.J. Hockenson landing hard on his right shoulder and head Sunday and then being carted off, Detroit will not be placing its rookie first-round pick on injured reserve, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 30, 2019That's encouraging news for both Hockenson and the Lions. The injury had potential to be devastating the way Hockenson's head slammed into the turf after he attempted to hurdle a defender. He was down for a while and eventually carted off the field to be evaluated for a concussion.
The hurdling phenomenon may have just come to an end. TJ Hockenson is hurt after this play pic.twitter.com/Dv4pGGCD5W
— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) September 29, 2019Matt Patricia gave a positive update on Hockenson after the game.
"He was in great spirits. His mom and dad are here. It was good. We'll just see how it goes."
Patricia added, "I did get him to smile when he finally sat up, so that was a good ending and made me feel a little better. But you don't like to see those at all."
The play showed the peril in trying to hurdle defenders, something that has grown increasingly popular in the NFL in recent years. Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter implored Hockenson and other players to stop attempting the maneuver.
T J Hockenson and other NFL players, please stop trying to leap over defenders. Coaches don't teach this BS.
— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) September 29, 2019When it works, it can help the ball carrier gain a few extra yards. When it doesn't, the risk for injury is high.
"We have to be real careful when you do leap and you do go up in the air," Patricia said. "There is an added risk that is involved in the play. A lot of times I think those guys, sometimes they take real calculated risks in those situations, sometimes it's something that we've seen on tape previously, or an opportunity where maybe a guy goes low.
"In that particular situation, we're just trying to keep the players as safe as possible. I want to keep them safe."
