The Packers are keeping their tight end room secure for Aaron Rodgers. With Marcedes Lewis and Josiah Deguara set to return, Green Bay secured the return of their top three tight ends today by re-signing Robert Tonyan for another year, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. 

Tonyan became the tenth football player out of Indiana State University to reach the NFL when he signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He was released before the season began, but was soon picked up by the Packers as a member of the practice squad. Tonyan was mostly a reserve tight end, appearing in most games, but not providing much of an impact in the passing game.

Tonyan had a break out year, though, in the 2020 NFL season when he reeled in 52 passes for 586 yards and an impressive 11 touchdowns. In 2021, Tonyan was showing a bit of the same success minus the massive red-zone impact. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by a torn ACL in a Week 8 game against the Cardinals.

Despite only appearing in eight games, Tonyan only trailed the Packers’ leading receiving tight end, Deguara, by 41 yards and trailed Lewis by only 10 yards. So the Packers are bringing back their top receiving tight end on a one-year deal, likely to make sure he can provide the same impact upon his recovery.

Robert Tonyan‘s season is over. The Packers tight end has been officially diagnosed with an ACL tear, according to his agent (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

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Tonyan was forced out in the third quarter of last night’s game against the Cardinals and did not return. His limp indicated that he was dealing with a serious injury and doctors confirmed his worst fears on Friday afternoon.

“I’m sick for Bobby,” head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game (via NFL.com). “He means so much to this team. It’s so cool, and I just told him to watch a guy when you first hit your… see the amount of progress that he’s made as a player and just the work that he puts in on a daily basis. It’s really cool when you see that progress, when you see a guy reach their potential and I still think there’s more out there for him…I am sick for him, I’m sick for us. My heart goes out to him.”

Tonyan reeled in three catches before his early exit, giving him 18 grabs for 204 yards and two touchdowns on the year. The Packers went on to defeat the league’s last undefeated team, but they’ll have to go the rest of the way without Tonyan and running back Kylin Hill.

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.

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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.