The Green Bay Packers believe tight end Robert Tonyan is ahead of schedule in his recovery from ACL surgery and won’t rule out the possibility of him returning early in the 2022 season.
The Packers re-signed Tonyan on a one-year deal. General manager Brian Gutekunst didn’t provide specifics but gave an optimistic outlook on his recovery.
“Bobby is doing great. I don’t think we have a real timetable on that, but I just know he’s ahead of schedule,” Gutekunst said Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting. “We won’t close the door on anything early, if it’s possible. But at the same time, you guys know how important he’s going to be to our offense, so we’ll be cautious as we go through that, make sure he’s available for the whole year.”
Entering 2022, Tonyan figures to be the primary pass-catching tight end in Matt LaFleur’s offense. He’ll be a major part of the passing game whenever he returns.
Last season, Tonyan caught 18 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a season-ending knee injury during the second half of the Packers’ win over the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 28. He played in just eight games in 2021 after tying the franchise record for touchdown catches by a tight end (11) in 2020.
The start of the regular season will be around 10 months post-injury for Tonyan. Barring a setback, the Packers should have Tonyan available for at least half the season – if not more – in 2022.
LaFleur said he just met with Tonyan this past week.
“You can tell he’s been working hard,” LaFleur said Tuesday.
The Packers coach is excited to get another opportunity to have Tonyan in the offense in 2022.
“I know he’ll come back, I don’t foresee him being any different physically, I think he’ll be ready to go,” LaFleur said. “Like what we talked about, I think there’s still a lot of room for growth in his game. The way he works, how intelligent he is, that’s great for us. Certainly, he’s got a rapport with Aaron, which is a big deal as well. Just excited to have him back on our team.”
