I don’t think Robert Tonyan is a one-year wonder. I like the way he plays, and I really liked what I heard of him on a podcast last week.
Tonyan was on The Rich Eisen show, and you have to be impressed by his demeanor. Very clear that this is a guy who’s working hard to get better. Very professional, and also humble. He’s a pro.
Podcast also serves as a reminder that Tonyan played some quarterback when he was at Indiana State, so some chance that they try to spring a surprise on a defense at some point this year by having him throw the ball on a gadget play. (Tonyan indicates that hasn’t been discussed yet at all.)
Tonyan obviously is tied to Aaron Rodgers. If Rodgers doesn’t show up, the Packers probably won’t throw half as many touchdowns. (Rodgers threw 48 last year; if they were putting out some combination of Jordan Love, Blake Bortles and anybody else they might find, I would think under 24.)
But to me, Tonyan seems like a tight end who’s going to continue to be a good NFL starter for years. I think they’ll probably be looking to use him more in 2021 then they did last year (when I imagine they headed into the season not really knowing what they had).
He had the shocking season last year, not only with 11 touchdowns but also catching 88 percent of the passes that were thrown his way. Rodgers went 52 of 59 when throwing to Tonyan. As far as I can tell, 88 percent would be by far the highest number ever by a tight end.
In the last 10 years, only 21 other tight ends (with 50-plus targets) have made it to 75 percent, and only one other has gone over 80 percent.
| 75 PERCENT CATCH RATES (last 10 years) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Pct |
| 2020 | Robert Tonyan, G.B. | 59 | 52 | 586 | 11.3 | 11 | 88.1% |
| 2018 | Austin Hooper, Atl. | 88 | 71 | 660 | 9.3 | 4 | 80.7% |
| 2019 | George Kittle, S.F. | 107 | 85 | 1,053 | 12.4 | 5 | 79.4% |
| 2016 | Jack Doyle, Ind. | 75 | 59 | 584 | 9.9 | 5 | 78.7% |
| 2014 | Jermaine Gresham, Cin. | 79 | 62 | 460 | 7.4 | 5 | 78.5% |
| 2018 | Kyle Rudolph, Min. | 82 | 64 | 634 | 9.9 | 4 | 78.0% |
| 2019 | Tyler Higbee, LAR | 89 | 69 | 734 | 10.6 | 3 | 77.5% |
| 2019 | Austin Hooper, Atl. | 97 | 75 | 787 | 10.5 | 6 | 77.3% |
| 2017 | Benjamin Watson, Balt. | 79 | 61 | 522 | 8.6 | 4 | 77.2% |
| 2014 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 87 | 67 | 862 | 12.9 | 5 | 77.0% |
| 2019 | Darren Waller, Oak. | 117 | 90 | 1,145 | 12.7 | 3 | 76.9% |
| 2014 | Jordan Reed, Was. | 65 | 50 | 465 | 9.3 | 0 | 76.9% |
| 2015 | Jordan Reed, Was. | 114 | 87 | 952 | 10.9 | 11 | 76.3% |
| 2013 | Jordan Reed, Was. | 59 | 45 | 499 | 11.1 | 3 | 76.3% |
| 2020 | • George Kittle, S.F. | 63 | 48 | 634 | 13.2 | 2 | 76.2% |
| 2019 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 83 | 63 | 529 | 8.4 | 4 | 75.9% |
| 2020 | • Drew Sample, Cin. | 53 | 40 | 349 | 8.7 | 1 | 75.5% |
| 2017 | Austin Hooper, Atl. | 65 | 49 | 526 | 10.7 | 3 | 75.4% |
| 2016 | Martellus Bennett, N.E. | 73 | 55 | 701 | 12.8 | 7 | 75.3% |
| 2012 | Brandon Myers, Oak. | 105 | 79 | 806 | 10.2 | 4 | 75.2% |
| 2014 | Niles Paul, Was. | 52 | 39 | 507 | 13.0 | 1 | 75.0% |
| 2012 | Tony Gonzalez, Atl. | 124 | 93 | 930 | 10.0 | 8 | 75.0% |
—Ian Allan