Why T.J. Hockenson May Never Become 'Showcase' of Lions' Offense

T.J. Hockenson can be a productive player in the NFL, but he may never become utilized as much as George Kittle or Travis Kelce.

The Detroit Lions front office and coaching staff will have to decide soon if they want to invest financially in tight end T.J. Hockenson. 

While general manager Brad Holmes has picked up the 24-year-old's fifth-year option for 2023, it is expected that negotiations will take place for Hockenson to remain in Detroit on a new, long-term contract. 

If Hockenson is seeking to be compensated at the level of those at the top of the pay scale, it may not be worth it for the team, especially since the talented tight end may not ever become the "showcase" player on the offense.  

When asked this week if Hockenson has the ability to become one of the NFL's big-play tight ends, head coach Dan Campbell provided additional clues as to how the coaching staff views his role in the offense. 

"I look at it as what are we asking him to do, and can he win? When we ask him to win, can he win? Because I think sometimes, when you start thinking about (Travis) Kelce and (Darren) Waller and Kyle Pitts, for a long time, some of those guys are ‘the’ showcase guy," Campbell expressed. "I think what we want is we want T.J. to just go out and win and do what he does on third down, criticals, when you need it. When your time’s called, because we’ve got (Amon-Ra) St. Brown, we’ve got (DJ) Chark, (Jameson) Williams will come along. We’ve got (Josh) Reynolds, we’ve got (D’Andre) Swift. So, it’s, man, he’s a piece of the puzzle and when his number’s called, we know he’s going to win, and that’s a comforting feeling.”

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With so many weapons offensively, it may be a challenge for Hockenson to secure statistical achievements, especially if he starts to see increased attention from members of the opposing defense. 

While his presence on the roster is surely needed and coveted, others on the roster, especially at wideout, will likely see the benefit, as there surely will be more real estate for the talented wideouts on the roster to work in. 

An additional area of improvement the team wants to see is in run blocking, as the team continues to place more and more of an emphasis on improving the run game. 

“Here’s the beauty of Hockenson, and I’ve said this before, he’s a guy who’s a willing blocker and has the ability to win a one-on-one matchup in the pass game," Campbell said. "So, when you have that ability and you’re willing to get in there and mix it up in the run game, that’s a good thing. Those guys aren’t always easy to find. He’ll tell you that too, that he’s still got room to grow even in there, in the run-blocking for us. I think he takes that next step on top of continuing to improve in the pass game. But yeah, I think he still has more room to grow.”