The Chicago Bears and their NFC North counterparts have swapped players with relative frequency over the past couple of seasons, and one pass-catcher has now made the rounds across the entire division.
The Minnesota Vikings just signed Robert Tonyan Jr., becoming the fourth and final team in the NFC North to employ the tight end.
Robert Tonyan Jr. Played Minimal Role for Bears, Could See It Increase With Vikings in 2024
Tonyan signed a $2.65 million contract to play for the Bears in the previous season. According to Pro Football Reference, he played in all 17 games, making six starts, and recorded 11 receptions for 112 receiving yards on just 17 targets. He failed to locate the end zone.
After spending five years with the Green Bay Packers as one of future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ top targets, Tonyan signed a contract with Chicago. According to Spotrac, Tonyan’s NFL career officially started in 2017 when he was a practice squad member of the Detroit Lions. However, he never played in a regular-season game for that team and only made $28,800 during his time there.
Tonyan might see a lot of field time when the Bears play the Vikings for the first time in Week 12 of November, versus Chicago. But Tonyan is probably just a stopgap in Minnesota until a healthy T.J. Hockenson returns. Hockenson is a two-time Pro Bowler and another former Lion who tore up his knee late in the regular season and is now recovering from surgery.
Before either of Chicago’s games against the Vikings, Hockenson is probably a full-go, which means Tonyan might play a minimal or nonexistent role.
Cole Kmet Will Be Top Tight End Option in Bears’ Revamped Passing Attack This Season
The Chicago passing attack featured Cole Kmet last year to the tune of career-highs in catches (73) and receiving yards (719), as well as 6 TDs. Kmet figures to feature heavily again in a vastly improved pass game in 2024 that includes the additions of wide receivers Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze alongside DJ Moore, as well as Quarterback Blake Williams, the first overall choice in the 2024 draft, will start in lieu of Justin Fields in Week 1.
According to StatMuse, Kmet finished second to Moore in all major receiving categories for the Chicago Bears in the previous season. However, with all the high-profile offensive additions and the possibility that the Bears will use Williams behind center more often than they did Fields, it doesn’t seem likely that Kmet will repeat that performance in 2024.
Tonyan’s main skill set is pass-catching, but the offseason changes in the Windy City made him an unnecessary addition to a team that didn’t really showcase him last season when it would have made more sense to do so.
