Vikings sign former Packers and Bears tight end Robert Tonyan
The Minnesota Vikings have added another piece to their tight end room. On Thursday, the team reportedly agreed to a contract with Robert Tonyan, who played for the Chicago Bears last year. He had already played for the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, so now he's completing his NFC North tour. Adam Schefter, from […]
The Minnesota Vikings have added another piece to their tight end room. On Thursday, the team reportedly agreed to a contract with Robert Tonyan, who played for the Chicago Bears last year. He had already played for the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, so now he's completing his NFC North tour.
Adam Schefter, from ESPN, broke the news.
Up and down career
Tonyan went undrafted coming out of Indiana State, mainly as a wide receiver. He signed with the Lions, but didn't make the initial 53-man roster. So he went to the Packers' practice squad to finish up his rookie season.
Starting in 2018, his role in Green Bay started to get bigger, and he became the primary tight end after the Packers parted ways with Jimmy Graham. Tonyan had a career year in 2020, with 52 receptions for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns.
He was playing well in 2021 again, but he tore his ACL after eight games. In 2022, his last year in Green Bay, Tonyan had a career high 53 receptions for 470 yards and two TDs.
In 2023, the tight end was let go by the Packers in free agency and signed with the Bears, who were running a similar offensive scheme under Luke Getsy. However, Tonyan barely played, having 11 receptions for 112 yards.
Crowded room
The Vikings tight end room is loaded with talent. The starter is TJ Hockenson, one of the best and most complete tight ends in football. They also signed Josh Oliver last year to be primarily a blocker.
The roster also has Johnny Mundt, Nick Muse, undrafted rookie Trey Knox, and Chilean player Sammis Reyes, who's a part of the NFL International Pathway Program — and therefore does not count towards the 90-man roster limit.
Tonyan is not a great blocker, but he probably comes in as the second-best receiving tight end of the roster. Kevin O'Connell's system has some similarities with what the Packers run and what the Bears ran last year, so the familiarity helps.
"This offense goes through the tight ends, whether it's blocking, passing, whatever it is," Tonyan said last year after signing with the Bears, talking about how he could fit an offense that already had a starting tight end. "And just a good pair. Cole (Kmet) is a great tight end. He's big, strong, and I think that adding that – that can complement me and him. I'm super pumped."
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