Robert Tonyan was recorded on video running with a football at the side of practice at Tight End U last week.
After a breakout season in 2020, the Packers tight end was just looking to catch his stride in 2021 before tearing his ACL during the Week 8 Thursday Night Football matchup at Arizona.
The injury was a gut punch not only to the Packers offense, but even more so to Tonyan himself. In the middle of a contract season, the injury delayed a payday — and forced Tonyan to take a one-year prove-it deal worth only $3.75 million.
If you remember, Tonyan had a noticeably slower start to the 2021 season. Through the first six games of the year, Tonyan had accumulated just 92 yards and one touchdown on 11 catches.
But the late-bloomer from Indiana State finally started to get things going in Week 7 and 8, catching seven passes for 112 yards and a score before the injury against the Cardinals.
While the tight end position is one that many Packers fans have questions about, I still feel strongly about where the position is at headed into 2022.
I feel that way for two reasons. The first is due to the veteran presence of Marcedes Lewis. The 38-year-old has been a monster in the trenches, especially during the back half of his career. “Big Dog” quickly became a leader and a locker room favorite after signing with the Packers in 2018.
The second reason I believe in the tight end unit? Robert Tonyan.
David Lombardi, who recorded <a href="http://
Packers TE Robert Tonyan, who tore his ACL last season, was at Tight End U running off on the side. He’s expected to be ready for the 2022 season opener pic.twitter.com/rhTXhv8sLh
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) June 24, 2022
“>the video of Tonyan running last week, also reported that the plan for the tight end is to be ready for the season-opener. And if we know anything about Tonyan, it’s that he’s always one of the hardest workers in the room. He’ll do everything in his power to make sure he can play as soon as possible this fall.
A healthy Tonyan contributes to the passing attack almost right away. In 2020, he was a favorite target of Aaron Rodgers, catching 52 passes for 586 yards and leading all tight ends with 11 touchdowns.
Without Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Davante Adams (and with a host of pass-catchers who haven’t played with Rodgers yet), expect a healthy Tonyan to be one of the first options 12 will turn to come fall.
I’m excited to see him return to a Packers offense that’s desperate for threats at the pass-catcher position. And as long as he stays healthy, he’ll be a viable option for Rodgers in 2022.
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Gunnar Davis is a lifelong Packers fan and a recent graduate of Simpson College, where he was a 3-year letterwinner on the offensive line and graduated with a degree in multimedia communications. You can follow him on Twitter at @Gunnar57Davis.