Natalia Chi
Robert Tonyan has a signed Brian Urlacher jersey in his basement.
His former Packers teammates understood.
“Everyone knows where I’m from and how proud I am of it.
Now the McHenry East alum can play for his hometown team. I gave you a pass-catching weapon. Toyan’s 470 receiving yards last season put him third on the Bears, just 74 yards behind his leader Cole Kumet on the team.
As for the former quarterback, Toyyan said he wasn’t particularly surprised when Aaron Rodgers glared at the Packers. The future Hall of Famer wants a trade to the Jets.
“I don’t mean to say this in a bad way, but it’s been the norm over the years. There are just moving parts,” he said Friday. You never know what’s going on towards the end…
“[Rodgers] That attention earned him the right to say so about his future. ”
Tonyan also wanted to speak out for himself. He didn’t press the Packers about their quarterback plans before deciding where to go next.
“I think the biggest thing that happened to me this year was taking my future into my own hands,” he said. “Make the right decision and be very careful with your next move. I think — I don’t think so, I believe, I know I made the right decision.
He knows the Bears’ offense, having played in a system similar to that of the Packers and Chicago coordinator Luke Getzie. He was the Packers’ passing game coordinator for the 2020 Tonyan Monster season. He caught 11 touchdowns that year. 1 He’s the only 6 bears he’s posted more in a season.
“This offense goes through tight ends whether it’s blocking or passing,” Toyang said. “And just the right pair. Cole is a great tight end. He’s big and strong, and I think the addition of that complements me and him.”
The two have different skill sets and Kmet is considered the better blocker. Former college wide his receiver, Tonyan was slotted 28% of the way he did last season and split his wide 14% of the time. Kmet played slots 26% of the time and split wide with his 8% of offensive plays.
Tonyan’s tight end is just amazing. In Indiana, Toyan played 11 games at quarterback as a redshirt freshman before switching to receiver the following offseason. He moved to tight end after college and was cut by the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
“Some people just have different paths and destinations, but what characterizes me is ‘just keep going,'” he said.
He started one game each in 2018 and 2019 with the Packers, and has started a total of 16 games over his last three seasons. His 2021 season was cut short when he tore his ACL on his left knee.
“It’s been my dream and my life to go from quarterback to receiver to tight end and play football,” he said. “I love it. …
“Did you think I’d be a tight end for the Bears? No. But did you think you’d play for the Bears? Yeah, definitely. In my mind, I was playing for the Bears all my life. I was I am very excited to be here.”
