Robert Tonyan is officially back with the Packers. The tight end signed his restricted free agent tender today, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky (via Twitter). The 27-year-old will earn $3.38MM this upcoming season.
[RELATED: This Date In Transactions History: Packers Re-Sign TE Robert Tonyan]
After effectively redshirting his rookie season, the former undrafted free agent hauled in only 14 receptions through his first two seasons of action. However, Tonyan had a breakout campaign in 2020, finishing with 52 receptions for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns. After the season, the Packers slapped Tonyan with the second-round tender.
After appearing in only 61-percent of his team’s offensive snaps in 2020, Tonyan could see an even larger role in 2021 (regardless of who’s under center). The tight end is projected to lead a depth chart that also features veteran Marcedes Lewis.
While Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay receivers have no-showed OTAs, Tonyan was one of the higher-profile offensive players to participate this past week, per Demovsky.
Tonyan can catch, has box-out ability, and plays hard on every play. Most importantly, he’s got a repoire with Rodgers (likely better last year than anyone not named Adams, as evidenced by the fact that was their only other prominent red zone target). He is a pretty bad blocker though, and he needs to clean up some of his route running. I remember a couple of drops or wrong place wrong time moments, but he mostly seemed pretty reliable and definitely I felt jumped far ahead of Sternberger and the third rounder (Degura?) from 2020.
Tonyan is 27 though, so he’s likely got a shorter window for an extension after this year. If Rodgers goes, Tonyan will have to prove that he is a legitimate threat in his own right, with or without Rodgers. As hard as he plays, I’d be willing to say that he’ll prove to be valuable. I’d really like to see him clean up his blocking though, especially if Green Bay continues to work through the ground game. Tonyan apparently works with George Kittle a lot, who is an excellent blocker, so maybe we’ll continue to see improvement there as well.
But, he (like a few others, I suspect..) probably won’t be around after this year anyway, what with his pending free agency, and…that other thing going on. Um…oh yeah, Pinky and the Brain’s inevitable taking over the world. Its going to happen people. Just accept it.
Agreed.
Oh yeah, we’ve got a schedule out for that. Phase Two is still undergoing cost analysis though.