TEs Finding Stride in Passing Game Without Tonyan

In terms of replacing what Robert Tonyan added to this Green Bay Packers offense, well, that was going to be a tall task. Or, at the very least, it was going to take a group effort to mitigate his absence.

 

Tonyan was coming off a highly effective and efficient 2020 season in which he caught 52 of his 59 targets for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns. Admittedly, 2021 began slowly for him, but he was heating up prior to his injury with seven receptions on nine targets for 112 yards and a touchdown against Washington and Arizona. 

 

In addition to what he can add as a pass-catcher, Tonyan helps Matt LaFleur achieve that ‘illusion of complexity’ that he has discussed in the past. Essentially this means running “like plays,” or plays that begin similarly but end up differently, as well as running the same concepts from a variety of personnel. 

 

In order to effectively accomplish this, you need versatility, which Tonyan brought with his ability as a pass-catcher and a blocker, as well as being able to line up in-line, in the slot, and out wide. 

 

While this is a talented tight end room that Brian Gutekunst has constructed, from a pure skill-set standpoint, there isn’t another tight end on the roster that can do what Tonyan does. Marcedes Lewis is known for his blocking abilities, while Josiah Deguara filled the H-back role and had just four career targets prior to the Arizona game.

 

So as should have been expected, it took some time for those two to carve out specific roles in the passing game. But as of late, both Deguara and Lewis have been able to affect the passing game positively, and it’s not a coincidence that the offense is surging in recent weeks either. 

 

Over the last four games, Deguara has been targeted 14 times, hauling in 10 of them for receptions while totaling 110 yards and a touchdown. According to PFF, Deguara’s role in the slot has also expanded as well, with 38 of his 72 total slot snaps this season coming in just the last three weeks. 

 

We’ve also seen Big Dog much more active in the passing game as well. He has caught nine of his 10 targets over the last three games for 95 yards, and he’s picked up quite a big of YAC along the way–which has been incredibly fun to watch. 

 

In fact, during that span, Lewis ranks ninth among all tight ends in YAC and seventh in YAC per reception. It’s also worth noting that Deguara ranks 13th and sixth in those respective categories during that same span.

 

We’ve even seen Tyler Davis get in on the action as well, catching a 22-yard pass down the seam — only the second catch of his career — against Baltimore as Aaron Rodgers was facing pressure from a corner blitz. The fact that Rodgers hung in there to deliver that pass to Davis shows that there is some level of trust between the two. 

 

“Those guys have done a great job,” LaFleur said via SI. “Nathaniel Hackett and the rest of our offensive staff have done a really nice job of trying to incorporate those guys more into the passing game, whether it’s with some of our play-actions or keepers that we’ve been doing. Aaron’s done a great job of going out there and executing, and it comes down to our O-line and backs just providing the time for him to be able to progress through his reads.” 

 

As is always the case, there is more than one reason behind the offense’s late-season surge, but at about the time the tight ends started making noise in the passing game was about the same time Rodgers and this offense really began to click. Which again, I don’t see that as a coincidence. 

 

In a recent article from Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated, he laid out just how effective Rodgers and the offense have been over their last four games. 

 

During that span, Rodgers is third in completion rate and first in touchdowns, passer rating, passing yards, and yards per attempt. He also hasn’t thrown an interception. As a whole, the offense ranks first in total points, total yards, and they’re the only team to score 30+ points in four consecutive games.

 

The tight ends play a very important role in this LaFleur offense, not only for their blocking abilities but as pass-catchers and helping this unit achieve that illusion of complexity to keep opposing defenses guessing. It took a little bit of time, but this group has found its groove, and the coaching staff is weaving them into the game plan with more regularity and creating pass-catching opportunities for them as well. 

 

At the end of the day, this offense will always go through Aaron Jones and Davante Adams first, but for this unit to be at their best — like they were in 2020 — the tight ends will also have to be effective in the passing game.