Robert Tonyan is a man on a mission. In a recent appearance on “Bussin’ With the Boys,” the Green Bay Packers tight end talked about being motivated to remind people of how good he was before his injury. Following a breakout year in 2020, Tonyan tore his ACL against the Arizona Cardinals, bringing his 2021 season to an abrupt end in Week 8.
Tonyan is looking forward to making his return to the football field at some point this season. However, as Packers fans are well aware, knee injuries can be unpredictable. Just look at teammate David Bakhtiari, who still hasn’t returned from the knee injury he suffered during a December practice in 2020.
It is important not to rush back because it can lead to setbacks like the one Bakhtiari suffered after testing his knee in last year’s season finale against the Detroit Lions. Luckily, Tonyan’s situation is different. He is making good progress in his rehab and can’t wait to show everyone what is capable of.
“Mentally, I’m not scared to get out there, I’m not overly eager to come back, I’m just smiling internally, because I’m like, some people forgot,” said Tonyan.
Tonyan said his knee “feels great” when speaking with Bussin’ With the Boys host Will Compton. In June, it was reported that Tonyan was on track to be ready for the 2022 season opener. There was some initial optimism that he would be ready for the start of training camp, but nine practices in, that hasn’t come to fruition with no updates on how close he is to returning to practice.
Green Bay would love to have their skillful receiving tight end sooner rather than later. Before the injury, Tonyan was starting to make a name for himself. In 2020, he posted career-highs of 586 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, tying Travis Kelce for the most among tight ends.
Last season, Tonyan got off to somewhat of a slow start, recording less than 10 receiving yards in four out of the first five games. Tonyan said most of that was because his role had evolved into more of a blocker, which makes sense when Elgton Jenkins and Bakhtiari were both out of the lineup due to injuries.
Then, in Week 7, he didn’t have his best game but looked more like the Tonyan of old, catching four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown in a 24-10 win over the Washington Football Team. The following week, he was on track for another strong performance against the Cardinals until a non-contact injury on a 33-yard catch and run knocked him out in the third quarter.
For a lot of players, an injury like that would have been demoralizing. Tonyan was on the brink of landing the largest contract of his career after playing on exclusive rights tenders for back-to-back seasons. Now he would have to wait even longer but still somehow managed to gain some perspective.
“Last season, I grew so much, and I’m thankful that (the injury) happened. I truly am because if I go the full season being healthy, and I’m up for a big contract – am I even in Green Bay? You never know,” Tonyan speculated.
In March, Green Bay placed a second-round tender on Tonyan. The 28-year-old tight end knows he will have a chance to compete for a championship with the Packers, but he is especially excited about stepping into an expanded role now that Davante Adams is no longer on the team.
“A good quarterback and a great defense, those are things that I want on a Super Bowl team. You have one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks of all time, and we have a bunch of people coming back on defense and then some. And then we don’t have a number one receiver anymore, that’s what I want, that’s the pressure I want to put on myself because I want to be that guy.”
It’s a tall task for anyone coming off an ACL injury, but somebody has to step up as Aaron Rodgers’ new favorite target. Green Bay drafted three receivers in this year’s draft and retained Allen Lazard while restructuring Randall Cobb. They also brought in Sammy Watkins, hoping that the former fourth overall pick can turn his injury luck around and be a big part of the offense.
On paper, the Packers have a defense good enough to win it all. The offense may struggle more than they’re accustomed to, but don’t put it past the 4x league MVP to eventually figure it out.
That is something Tonyan is keen on doing: figuring out how to win it all. Since coming to Green Bay, Tonyan has been to two NFC Championships only to come up short both times. Last season, he watched from the sidelines as his team squandered their divisional round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. By watching as a spectator, Tonyan believes he knows what the issue is.
“We have a great locker room, we have great chemistry,” he said. “I think it’s just the consistency of staying ourselves for a longer period of time. We come out hot, we win those close games, but then we get to the end of the season, and it’s like ‘Man (expletive) this’…but we’re a 13-3 football team, that’s our identity. We’re a winning football program, so why do we get down on ourselves as time progresses or the weight of the season gets on us – that’s not us.”
While staying in Green Bay to rehab his knee, Tonyan said he noticed the grueling stretch of the 17-game season taking a toll on his teammates. Even if you’re a winning organization like the Packers, it helps when someone is always holding you accountable. Tonyan plans to use that to his team’s advantage this time around.
“I think the consistency of being ourselves and staying true to us for a longer period of time. I think that is where we will take the next step.”