Vikings sign TE Robert Tonyan
On a day where we got some positive news on how T.J. Hockenson is progressing from last season’s knee injury, we’ve learned that the Minnesota Vikings have brought in some reinforcements at the tight end position
According to Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Vikings are signing tight end Robert Tonyan. No corresponding roster move has been announced and terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.
If the Vikings sign Tonyan, it will mean that he’s officially been a member of every team in the NFC North. After going undrafted in 2017 out of Indiana State, he signed with the Detroit Lions and was part of their practice squad for most of that season. He was then signed off of their practice squad by the Green Bay Packers for the final four games of that season, and he remained with the Packers until 2022. And, as you can see from the picture above, this past season he played with the Chicago Bears.
Tonyan’s lone season in Chicago was a bit of a disappointment, as despite appearing in all 17 games for the Bears he caught just 11 passes for 122 yards. In his five-plus seasons in Green Bay, he caught 137 passes for 1,437 yards and 17 touchdowns, including an 11-touchdown campaign in 2020.
While there’s still some uncertainty surrounding Hockenson, despite his progress, bringing in a veteran like Tonyan shows that the Vikings are still looking for reinforcements at the position. Tonyan should have an opportunity to land a spot on the roster in Training Camp, likely competing for the #3 spot with Johnny Mundt and Nick Muse.
Once we get word of a corresponding roster move to add Tonyan to the roster, we will add it to this story.
