Green Bay Packers tight end Robert Tonyan is officially a breakout player for Matt LaFleur’s team in 2020.
For the past two offseasons, Tonyan had served as a beacon of hope for one of the team’s most underperforming position groups. He was seen as a potential diamond in the rough. He was a player that could finally end the trend of lackluster Packers’ receiving tight ends that followed Jermichael Finley since his retirement in 2015.
Tonyan, an Indiana State alumnus, came into the league as an undrafted free agent for the Detroit Lions in 2017. He was released by the Lions before the season began but signed with the Packers’ practice squad shortly after. In 2018, he was promoted to the active roster but hardly saw the field.
During the 2019 NFL offseason, Tonyan generated plenty of buzz during training camp. Some observers tabbed him as a potential breakout candidate and threat to Jimmy Graham’s starting job last year. Unfortunately, it didn’t materialize and the Packers continued to get very little receiving production from their tight ends.
Tonyan barely saw the field in 2019, and his end-of-season numbers were pedestrian – 10 catches, 100 receiving yards and one touchdown in 11 games. It’s important to note that he played through a core muscle injury that eventually ended his season, but even when he was healthy, Tonyan wasn’t making much of an impact.
In 2020, that has changed completely. With Graham out of the picture, Tonyan has had more opportunities to shine, and he’s beginning to set himself apart as the clear TE1 for the Packers.
In Week 2 vs. the Detroit Lions, Tonyan caught two passes for 25 yards and a touchdown. In Week 3 vs. the New Orleans Saints, he hauled in five receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown.
On Monday Night Football vs. the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4, Tonyan had the first real breakout game of his NFL career, catching six passes for 98 yards and three scores (all career-highs).
After the career-best performance, Tonyan is tied with Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans for the NFL lead in touchdown receptions with five. Through four games of the 2020 NFL season, he has 13 receptions, 173 receiving yards (13.3 yards per reception) and five touchdowns. A whopping 38.5 percent of his catches this season have been touchdowns.
In Year 2 under LaFleur, Tonyan is carving out a sizable role for himself.
In the absence of wide receiver Davante Adams, and more recently wide receiver Allen Lazard, the Packers have needed to rely more heavily on their third-year tight end. For three weeks in a row, Tonyan has stepped up and been an impact player. With Tonyan and running backs Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams stepping up to fill the receiver void this week, the Packers showed that their passing game can survive and even flourish without its top two options.
