Robert Tonyan signing 1-year deal with Bears, leaving Packers tight end depth chart barren
Ryan WoodGREEN BAY – Quarterback isn’t the only position the Green Bay Packers will need to overhaul on their offense this spring.
Tight end Robert Tonyan is signing a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears, a source confirmed to PackersNews. Tonyan’s departure leaves a depleted depth chart at a position that was already going to be a primary need during the upcoming NFL draft.
ESPN was first to report Tonyan’s new contract. The news comes a day after Aaron Rodgers announced he intends to play for the New York Jets next season after a trade can be worked out.
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Tonyan spent the past five seasons with the Packers after initially going undrafted in 2017 out of Indiana State. A former college quarterback, Tonyan signed with the Detroit Lions after the 2017 draft. The Lions released Tonyan at the end of training camp in 2017, and he spent months searching for another NFL opportunity.
It finally came late in the 2017 season when the Packers signed Tonyan to their practice squad. He made the roster in 2018 but caught only four passes for 77 yards that season. Tonyan’s development continued, and in 2020 he emerged as one of the NFL’s top tight ends, catching 52 passes for 586 yards and tying a franchise record for his position with 11 touchdown receptions.
A year later, Tonyan tore his left ACL at the end of a long reception in Arizona. He missed the rest of 2021, but Tonyan returned last season to play all 17 games. He was again the Packers' top receiving tight end, catching 53 passes for 470 yards but only two touchdowns.
Tonyan’s blocking developed in recent years enough for him to fit in the Packers’ run-oriented offense, even if he didn’t stretch the field in 2022 as he did before his ACL injury. The Packers were still likely to target tight ends in this coming draft, a need that only increases without Tonyan.
With Marcedes Lewis also a free agent, their depth chart consists only of 2021 third-round pick Josiah Deguara, Tyler Davis, Austin Allen and Nick Guggemos.