One Viking Might’ve Been Hyped Too Much This Summer
In 33 days, the Minnesota Vikings will kick off their regular season in New Jersey, a date with the New York Giants.
One Viking Might’ve Been Hyped Too Much This Summer
And with tight end T.J. Hockenson’s return from a torn ACL up in the air, many onlookers believed newcomer Robert Tonyan would earn substantial attention in the Vikings’ offense until Hockenson’s return.
But that theory might’ve been concocted too soon, the hype for Tonyan possibly overblown. Minnesota released its first unofficial depth chart on Tuesday — and Tonyan was buried around TE5.
For context, this is the team’s current TE pecking order:
- TE1: T.J. Hockenson (PUP)
- TE2: Josh Oliver
- TE3: Johnny Mundt
- TE4: Nick Muse
- TE5: Robert Tonyan
- TE6: N’Keal Harry
- TE7: Trey Knox
- TE8: Sammis Reyes
According to that publication by Minnesota’s coaching staff, Oliver and Mundt would own most of the passing target share, and probably Mundt because Oliver is a run-blocking specialist. Tonyan, on the other hand, is apparently fighting for a 53-man roster spot.
Tonyan was injured with back spasms one week ago, but that doesn’t affect a player’s position on the depth chart. Unless the next depth chart update is sweeter for the former Green Bay Packer, his role on the team seemed to have been overstated earlier this summer.
In June, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis tweeted, “Robert Tonyan has looked great in minicamp. No hyperbole. Catching everything, snagged multiple passes in red-zone period today, outstretched arms, toe-tapping in corner of the end zone. Just impressive.”
It’s worth noting that Lewis’ observation wasn’t standalone; Tonyan truly looked the part at minicamp. In that vein, it’s rather odd that he was buried this week on the first depth chart.
The 30-year-old 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 is also the most recent in a lengthy 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 now Tonyan.
On Hockenson, the team’s TE1, head coach Kevin O’Connell said about his ACL recovery last week, “Where he’s at, albeit very well ahead of maybe where some of the medical folks thought he would be, there is an injury there that a timeline exists and we’re going to try to stay true to that while also giving him ops to push to maybe shrink that timeline a little bit.”
That led some to believe Hockenson could return sooner than expected, possibly in Week 1. In that regard, even if Hockenson’s Week 1 return is a longshot, fans wouldn’t much care about Tonyan’s job title in 2024.
If his back has healed, Tonyan should see reps during Saturday’s preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
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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.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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