The Minnesota Vikings released tight end Robert Tonyan on Tuesday. The Vikings have plenty of tight end depth, with superstar T.J. Hockenson (knee) on the PUP list and Josh Oliver, one of the best backups in the NFL. The 29-year-old spent the first five seasons of his career with the Green Bay Packers before playing with the Chicago Bears in 2023. In 2020 he had by far the best season of his career, with 586 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Tonyan, who has only ever played for NFC North teams, has put together a couple of productive seasons and shown that he has plenty of talent. Tonyan will look to latch onto another team but is off the fantasy radar for now in 2024.
Aug 27, 2024 5:57 PM EST
Minnesota Vikings tight end Robert Tonyan (back) returned to practice Tuesday. Tonyan had been out of training camp and the preseason since July 31. Tonyan was still a limited participant in practice. He only participated in positional drills and sat out of the team portion of practice. His return is a welcome one for the Vikings' depth at tight end as starter T.J. Hockenson (knee) continues to recover from a torn ACL and MCL. Tonyan recorded 11 receptions for 112 yards and no touchdowns with the Chicago Bears in 2023. The 30-year-old signed with the Vikings in May as a veteran depth piece. He is unlikely to be a major fantasy contributor in 2024, especially once Hockenson returns.
Aug 20, 2024 7:08 PM EST
Minnesota Vikings tight end Robert Tonyan (back) remains sidelined with back spasms and hasn't been able to suit up for either of the team's two preseason games. Tonyan first experienced the spasms on July 31 and hasn't been able to practice since then. The initial hope was that he'd be back in time for one of their first two preseason contests, but that hasn't been the case. With T.J. Hockenson (knee) still on the PUP list, Tonyan was brought in to be a depth option alongside Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt. If he can't get back on the field soon, he may slip all the way down the depth chart and when Hockenson returns, there's not going to be nearly as many fantasy opportunities for the veteran tight end.
Aug 19, 2024 9:02 AM EST
Minnesota Vikings tight end Robert Tonyan (back) is out of practice currently dealing with lower back spasms. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell hopes he will return in time for the preseason games. O'Connell noted, "He'll be out today (Friday), but we'll keep an eye on his progress over the next few days. We want to ensure he's ready for the upcoming preseason games and fully prepared when the time comes." T.J. Hockenson (knee) the team's top tight end, is still recovering from an ACL tear in his right knee and is not expected to be available for the start of the regular season. Tonyan was signed to help cover Hockenson's pass-catching duties, but with both tight ends potentially sidelined, the Vikings' tight-end depth chart now includes Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt, Nick Muse, N'Keal Harry, and Trey Knox. With a limited tight-end group, the focus will shift to increasing targets for vital offensive players such as Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Aaron Jones.
Aug 2, 2024 7:07 PM EST
Minnesota Vikings tight end Robert Tonyan (back) left practice due to back spasms, and his return timeline is still uncertain. If Tonyan's injury proves severe and he misses a significant amount of time, the Vikings' tight end situation could become problematic. T.J. Hockenson (knee) the team's primary tight end, is only seven months removed from an ACL tear in his right knee and is not expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. He is on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, with no clear timeline for his return. Typically, recovery from an ACL tear takes 9-12 months. Tonyan was brought in to fill Hockenson's pass-catching role, but without both Hockenson and Tonyan, the Vikings' tight end group consists of Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt, Nick Muse, N'Keal Harry, and Trey Knox. With limited options at tight end, the focus shifts to increasing targets for critical players like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Aaron Jones.
Jul 31, 2024 7:09 PM EST
Minnesota Vikings tight end Robert Tonyan is building chemistry with rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy at OTAs, according to Alec Lewis of The Athletic. The 30-year-old signed a one-year, $1.23 million deal to join the team this offseason, and he could compete for snaps while T.J. Hockenson (knee) works his way back from a late-season ACL tear. Tonyan spent five seasons with the Green Bay Packers and one year with the Chicago Bears and racked up 148 receptions for 1,549 yards and 17 touchdowns in 85 games. He led all tight ends with 11 touchdowns in 2020. Although his one season of fantasy upside looks to be an outlier and a result of playing with Aaron Rodgers, he should be slightly on the fantasy radar in deep tight-end premium leagues. He figured to compete with Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt, and K'Neal Harry (recently moved to tight end) for early-season reps. Whoever earns the temporary TE1 job will likely have limited upside catching passes from Sam Darnold or McCarthy in 2024.
Jun 7, 2024 4:14 PM EST
Former Green Bay Packers tight end Robert Tonyan signed an undisclosed deal with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday. Tonyan will stay in the NFC North after playing in all 17 regular-season games with the Chicago Bears in 2203, catching just 11 of 17 targets for 107 receiving yards and no touchdowns. The 30-year-old's addition in Minnesota will give the Vikings a little more depth at the position with T.J. Hockenson (knee) trying to return this fall from a serious knee injury. If Hockenson isn't ready to go for Week 1, Tonyan, Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt would be competing for playing time. Even if Hockenson is delayed to start the 2024 campaign, Tonyan probably won't be anything more than a touchdown-dependent TE2 option in fantasy for a short period of time. He has a total of 148 catches (193 targets) for 1,549 yards and 17 touchdowns (11 in 2020) in his six years in the NFL.
May 16, 2024 2:03 PM EST
Chicago Bears tight end Robert Tonyan (back) is officially active for Week 1 versus the Green Bay Packers. He had been listed as questionable but will ultimately suit up as Cole Kmet's backup. He can be left on fantasy football waivers.
Sep 10, 2023 3:25 PM EST
Tonyan was "pretty involved" with the first-team offense during OTAs with the Bears expecting to use more sets with two tight ends than in 2022, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.
Jun 22, 2023 10:53 AM EST
Tonyan caught all three of his targets for 29 yards in Sunday's 20-16 loss to the Lions.
Jan 11, 2023 5:42 AM EST
Tonyan caught three of four targets for 52 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 41-17 win over the Vikings.
Jan 1, 2023 9:29 PM EST
Tonyan was targeted twice and caught one pass for 13 yards in Sunday's 26-20 victory over the Dolphins.
Dec 26, 2022 7:50 AM EST
Tonyan was targeted twice and caught one pass for four yards in Monday's 24-12 victory over the Rams.
Dec 20, 2022 7:40 AM EST
Tonyan was targeted twice and caught one pass for 10 yards in Sunday's 28-19 victory over the Bears.
Dec 5, 2022 9:20 AM EST
Tonyan was targeted three times and caught three passes for 20 yards in Sunday's 40-33 loss to the Eagles.
Nov 28, 2022 8:11 AM EST
Tonyan (illness) won't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.
Nov 25, 2022 1:34 PM EST
Tonyan sat out Thursday's practice due to an illness, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Nov 24, 2022 12:17 PM EST
Tonyan was targeted four times and caught two passes for 19 yards in Thursday's 27-17 loss to the Titans.
Nov 18, 2022 7:15 AM EST
Tonyan was targeted once and caught one pass for eight yards in Sunday's 31-28 overtime victory over the Cowboys.
Nov 14, 2022 10:25 AM EST
Tonyan was targeted four times and caught three passes for 29 yards in Sunday's 15-9 loss to the Lions.
Nov 7, 2022 8:40 AM EST