More reinforcements at the tight end.
On a day when we got some good news on how T.J. Hockenson is doing from last season’s knee injury, we’ve discovered 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 Tonyan signs with the Vikings, he will have officially played for every NFC North team. After going undrafted out of Indiana State in 2017, he signed with the Detroit Lions and spent most of the season on their practice squad. The Green Bay Packers then signed him off their practice squad for the final four games of the season, and he remained with the team until 2022. And, as shown in the photo above, he played for the Chicago Bears this season.
Tonyan’s one season in Chicago was somewhat disappointing, as he caught only 11 catches for 122 yards while appearing in all 17 games for the Bears. During his five seasons with Green Bay, he caught 137 passes for 1,437 yards and 17 touchdowns, including an 11-touchdown performance in 2020.
While there is still some doubt surrounding Hockenson, despite his progress, bringing in a veteran like Tonyan demonstrates that the Vikings are still looking for help at the position. Tonyan should have a chance to make the team during Training Camp, presumably competing for the #3 spot with Johnny Mundt and Nick Muse.
