Former Vikings Playmaker Auditions for Commanders
During the spring and summer, the Minnesota Vikings required tight end depth because TE1 T.J. Hockenson faced a long ACL recovery.
Former Vikings Playmaker Auditions for Commanders
So, the purple team signed Robert Tonyan, a man on deck for tentative TE2 or TE3 duty in the Twin Cities.
The plan never panned out, and Tonyan exited stage left in October. Now, with any luck, he could soon be a Washington Commander.
KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweeted Tuesday, “The Commanders worked out Lawrence Cager, Lideatrick Griffin, Jalen Guyton, Parker Hesse, Tyree Jackson (signed), Jaxon Janke, Rocky Lombardi, Chris Moore, and Robert Tonyan.”
This is Washington’s tight end situation at the moment:
- Zach Ertz
- John Bates
- Ben Sinnott
- Cole Turner (Practice Squad)
- Tyree Jackson (Practice Squad)
- Colson Yankoff (IR)
Tonyan has played 33 special teams snaps and 13 on offense so far in 2024, and Minnesota ran out of PS elevations for the 30-year-old. A player can only be called up from the practice squad thrice before needing to join the 53-man roster.
The veteran tight end was hampered by back spasms during the summer, canceling his preseason participation and allowing fellow TEs like Johnny Mundt and Nick Muse to surpass him on the depth chart. The Vikings even released him amid roster trimdowns in late August but swiftly added him to the PS.
Tonyan encountered a quiet season with the Chicago Bears in 2023, receiving just 17 targets in 17 games while banking 11 receptions for 112 yards. Before 2023, Tonyan spent five seasons in Green Bay, with 1,437 yards on 148 catches for 17 touchdowns in 68 games as a Packer. At times, he was one of Aaron Rodgers’ favorite targets.
He was the most recent in a long list of Packers defectors to join the Vikings in the last few years, including Bashaud Breeland, Chandon Sullivan, Za’Darius Smith, Dean Lowry, Aaron Jones — and Tonyan.
The Commanders currently hold the NFC’s No. 7 seed and would travel to Philadelphia for a Wildcard Round date with the Eagles if the postseason began today. Washington has unexpectedly excelled in 2024 to the tune of a 9-5 record after rookie passer Jayden Daniels blossomed immediately. His performance, paired with head coach Dan Quinn, has rectified decades of doldrums in the nation’s capital, at least for now.
With or without Tonyan, the Commanders play those very Eagles at home this Sunday and are expected to lose by three or four points.
Tonyan will turn 31 in April.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
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