EAGAN, Minn. -- The unusual summer of Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson took a new turn Wednesday when he sat out most of practice because of what the team attributed to lower back stiffness.
Hockenson missed the majority of camp drills during the previous three weeks because of an ear infection that he said affected his equilibrium. That condition has resolved itself, coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday, but Hockenson "very recently" reported his back symptoms to the Vikings' medical staff. O'Connell classified Hockenson's absence as "day-to-day," and did not rule out a return to the field as early as Thursday's joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals, but such a quick return seems unlikely.