Robert Tonyan could be Vikings' TE1 with significant targets

Tonyan has drawn rave reviews after organized team activities and minicamp.

Robert Tonyan (85) at Vikings offseason workouts / Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings seemingly have a reliable replacement to serve as the starting tight end while T.J. Hockenson recovers from a knee injury he suffered on Christmas Eve last season.

The belief by most is that Hockenson will miss the first several weeks of the season while he rehabs an offseason ACL surgery. It will be a significant loss for Minnesota as Hockenson has caught 155 passes for 1,479 yards and eight touchdowns since joining the Vikings at the 2022 trade deadline.

With Hockenson down, it appears Minnesota will turn to former Packers and Bears tight end Robert Tonyan as the starter. In six seasons, Tonyan has caught 148 passes for 1,549 yards and 17 touchdowns. The 6-foot-5 tight end signed a one-year deal with Minnesota in May, following one disappointing season in Chicago.

During the Vikings’ organized team activities and minicamp, Tonyan reportedly stood out in the tight end competition. The Atheltic’s Alec Lewis wrote that he would “not be blown away” if Tonyan saw the third-most targets on the team early in the season, stating that Tonyan was “frisky” at offseason practices.

After five seasons as TE1 for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, Tonyan jumped ship to Chicago where he fell behind Cole Kmet. Now, Tonyan looks to kick-start his career and display the skill that often had him as the No. 2 target in the Packers’ offense.

Purple Insider’s Matthew Coller was also high on what he saw from Tonyan at Vikings offseason workouts, labeling him as TE1 to start the season in his recent 53-man roster prediction.

“Robert Tonyan had a tremendous minicamp,” said Coller on a recent Purple Insider podcast.

“There are two other guys that will have an opportunity to battle with Tonyan and (Johnny) Mundt for those positions. I can’t decide right now... I saw too much good from Robert Tonyan and have maybe overcompensated there for what he’s going to be,” Coller said. “But he did have a lot of catches in the OTA phase.”

Until Hockenson is back, the big three receiving weapons for Minnesota could be Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Tonyan.