Tonyan can take role to new heights
Fourth in a 2020 Packers positionanalysis series with grades and biggest needs.
It had become a tradition of Green Bay Packers offseasons, listing tight end near the top of their to-do list.
For six seasons, ever since Jermichael Finley's career ended abruptly with a neck injury midway through 2013, the hunt for their next tight end seemed endless. The Packers have used three third-round picks since 2014 to try to fill the void. They signed four prominent free agents. For a moment, they watched Jared Cook emerge as a threat in their offense, only to let him leave in free agency after the 2016 season.
There were limitless grabs at developmental prospects over the years. That one of those low-risk, high-reward projects would give the Packers their answer is a testament to their persistence.
Robert Tonyan, one of the last players Ted Thompson signed as general manager, arrived in Green Bay late in the 2017 season as a tight end just hoping to have an NFL career. He'd been discarded by the lowly Detroit Lions, never really given a shot before he was released at the end of training camp. Unemployed for most of that 2017 season, Tonyan never quit training. He knew there was much work to do if he was ever going to stick in the league.
The Packers extended Tonyan an uncommon level of patience. He won a roster job in 2018, but played only 67 snaps.
His snaps increased to 193 in 2019, but a core muscle injury forced him to miss five games just as he seemed to be hitting stride, and he was never the same after midseason surgery.
Finally, in 2020, Tonyan and the Packers hit pay dirt. In the finest season a Packers tight end has produced in almost a decade, Tonyan became a viable threat in the Packers offense with 638 snaps. At only 26 years old, he is the future of a position that finds itself much lower down the priority list than it has been the past several offseasons.
The good
If the Packers want to increase Tonyan’s role in 2021, there’s evidence to believe he’ll handle the promotion well. While Tonyan’s athleticism made him a playmaker, helping him consistently get open down the middle of the field, the best part of his game might’ve been his hands. Tonyan had an 88.1 catch percentage in 2020, with only seven of the 59 targets from quarterback Aaron Rodgers falling incomplete. That’s the best catch percentage for any Packers tight end since Pro Football Reference started charting targets in 1992. Tonyan dropped only one pass, a 28-yarder down the left side on third-and-6 that was tightly contested by Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker III in Week 2. When Rodgers was throwing Tonyan a pass, it was getting caught. If he throws more passes to Tonyan in 2021, they’ll still be caught. His hands are that good.
The bad
If a breakout tight end candidate was to be named during the last offseason, Jace Sternberger might’ve been a more popular choice than Tonyan. Sternberger was the draft pick, selected in the third round two years ago. He ended his rookie season with a touchdown catch in the NFC championship game at San Francisco. There was momentum for Sternberger entering training camp, but the second-year tight end never took off. Instead, Sternberger ended his year as a healthy scratch in the playoffs, falling behind Dominique Dafney on the depth chart. He’ll enter a critical juncture in his career, hoping to gain traction in his third season.
Biggest need
If Tonyan can duplicate his breakout season in 2021, the Packers still need to fill out the depth chart. Marcedes Lewis is useful for the role he fills, but that role isn’t catching passes, and as a free agent entering his age-37 season his future is uncertain. Perhaps Sternberger can rebound from 2020. Perhaps Josiah Deguara makes a splash after returning from a torn ACL that cut short an intriguing start to his rookie year. Maybe the Packers will find value somewhere in the draft. No matter how it comes, a second tight end option would be a big benefit.
Grades
Tonyan: Blossomed into a certifiable weapon with breakout 2020 season. Tied Paul Coffman’s franchise record from 1983 for touchdown catches by a Packers tight end in a season with 11. Added 52 catches for 586 yards, first time a Packers tight end has reached 50 catches and 500 yards in a season since Richard Rodgers in 2015.
Became an overnight sensation with three touchdowns against Atlanta Falcons on “Monday Night Football” in Week 4. Defenses paid more attention to him afterward, but Tonyan overcame midseason drought to finish strong. Caught a touchdown pass in five straight games starting Week 11 in Indianapolis. Ended season with touchdown catch in NFC championship game. Grade: B.
Lewis: Surprisingly spry as a receiving option at times in his age-36 season, though mostly used as an in-line blocker. Caught 10 of his 17 targets for 107 yards and three touchdowns, his most trips to the end zone in three seasons with Packers. Added three catches for 28 yards in NFC championship game. Most of his 422 snaps were devoted to blocking, both in the run game and as an extra pass protector. Even with Tonyan’s emergence, playing time barely dipped from 2019 season (487 snaps), signaling a clear role on the field. Fifteenth-year veteran credited as one of the foremost leaders in the locker room. Expressed desire to return for 16th year. Grade: C-minus.
Dafney: Signed to practice squad in October. Promoted to active roster Dec. 12. Undrafted rookie who spent training camp with Indianapolis Colts. Played 68 snaps in five games, usurping Sternberger on the depth chart.
Caught two passes for 26 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown in Week 17 at Chicago. Spent time in backfield as fullback. Added 44 snaps on special teams. Grade: D.
Sternberger: Started season with big expectations entering Year 2, but they were unmet. Played 202 snaps in 12 games. Dropped a pair of passes against
Detroit Lions in Week 2, but hands otherwise were not an issue. Caught 12 of 15 targets for 114 yards and a 3-yard touchdown in Houston, the first regular-season TD of his career. Suffered concussion against Philadelphia Eagles and did not play again, though he was a healthy scratch behind Dafney for both playoff games. Grade: D-minus.
Deguara: Third-round rookie played two games before season ended with torn ACL in early October. Played 24 snaps in opener at Minnesota, catching one of two targets for 12 yards. Missed next two games with shin/ankle injury. Returned Week 4 against Atlanta, but tore ACL on seventh snap, ending rookie season. Coach Matt LaFleur loved how the versatile Deguara fit in his system. Might have a promising future if he can overcome knee injury. Grade: Incomplete.
John Lovett: Started season on Packers’ practice squad. Played first two games as a practice-squad call-up before being added to 53-man roster Week 3. Filled in as tight end, fullback hybrid for injured Deguara. Played 45 snaps in eight games, rushing three times for six yards. Season ended after tearing ACL in November. Grade: Incomplete.