Green Bay Packers: Is 2020 Robert Tonyan’s Year?

Green Bay Packers’ tight end, Robert Tonyan, is loaded with potential, but it hasn’t materialized into production yet. Is 2020 the year it happens?

The 2013 season was the final year of Jermichael Finley’s career, and it’s been since then that the Green Bay Packers have had regular production at the tight end position. However, to their credit, it hasn’t been for lack of effort.

Green Bay has signed several notable tight ends in recent years, but outside of Jared Cook during the second half of the 2016 season, that production hasn’t been consistent, and for the most part, it has been underwhelming.

But this season instead of relying on a flashy free-agent addition, the Green Bay Packers will be counting on veteran Marcedes Lewis, second-year player Jace Sternberger, incoming rookie Josiah Deguara, and of course, Robert Tonyan.

2018 was Tonyan’s first in Green Bay, and as the fourth tight end on the roster, he was used sparingly, taking only 67 snaps on offense while hauling in four receptions on six targets for 77 yards. Although I’m sure you’ll all remember his 54-yard touchdown grab in Seattle.

As a former college receiver at Indiana State, Tonyan has spent his first few NFL seasons transitioning to the tight end position, which is no easy task. I mean, we see early-round picks at the position struggle at the NFL level their first and sometimes even second seasons.

Given that tight ends need to understand blocking responsibilities and techniques like an offensive lineman while also having to perform like a receiver, the learning curve for any young player is going to be steep.

However, at 6’5″ – nearly 250 pounds and an ability to run a sub-4.6 40-yard dash, Tonyan is loaded with potential and can be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses with his skill-set. In flashes, we’ve seen that big-play ability that he possesses in the passing game, and he’s shown that he is a willing blocker as well, with that part of his game, in particular, really improving between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

And that didn’t go unnoticed by Aaron Rodgers last summer either (via Packers Wire):

"“He’s just so versatile,” Rodgers said. “I think he’s doing a better job at the point of attack blocking. We’re not asking the off-the-ball tight end to do a ton of point-of-attack stuff. It’s a lot of the movement stuff, and he’s great at that. He can come down the backside and cut a guy off or cut a guy in a game situation. He’s also a very good route runner, he’s got fantastic hands.I moved to my left about five days ago and threw a ball and he one-hand tipped it to himself for an easy catch. He does that stuff all the time. He’s a very natural receiver. And the blocking, I think, has been where I’ve seen some improvement with Bobby.”"

So Tonyan is an improving blocker, a threat in the passing game, and QB1 has a nickname for him, not a bad spot to be in. Unfortunately, he would end up missing five games in 2019, and overall he still didn’t play that big of a role on offense with only ten receptions on 15 targets. Although his snap count did jump to 193 last season and he did come away with another touchdown.

During his time in Green Bay, Tonyan has had excellent mentors in both Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis, and he’s also worked out in the offseason with San Francisco 49ers’ star tight end, George Kittle, who called Tonyan an “absolutely insane athlete.”

Although at this point, the work that Tonyan has put in hasn’t translated to production on the field, many within the Green Bay Packers’ organization have seen the evolution of Tonyan’s game at the tight end position the last few years. And as we look ahead to 2020, as long as he’s healthy, he should see more opportunities this season.

As a move tight end, Tonyan is an ideal fit for Matt LaFleur’s offense with the overall versatility that he brings, along with his improved run blocking ability, and the mismatches that he can create for both himself and his teammates as a receiver. Not to mention that unlike Tonyan’s first two years in Green Bay, the tight end position is a bit up in the air entering this season.

While Sternberger is expected to be TE1, this is only his second NFL season, so expectations should be tempered. Meanwhile, as a rookie in what has been a very unusual offseason, we shouldn’t be surprised at all if Deguara doesn’t make much of an impact right away. Lastly, Lewis will once again primarily be a blocker, although he will see some opportunities in the passing game here and there.

The door is wide open for Tonyan to make a splash in 2020, but as they say, the best ability is availability, and at some point, his potential needs to materialize into production. Is this the year it’ll finally happen? Let’s hope it is.