Chicago Bears 20 Most Important Players: #16 Robert Tonyan

Our series profiling the Chicago Bears’ 20 most important players in 2023 continues as we look at tight end Robert Tonyan.

As we wait for training camp to open we continue our series profiling the Chicago Bears‘ 20 most important players. You can take a look at the previous players ranked here.

At number 16 we have newly signed tight end Robert Tonyan.

Tonyan certainly made his way around the NFC North. He went undrafted in 2017 but signed with the Detroit Lions. He did not get to play for them, however. The Lions made him among the final cuts of the preseason.

In 2018, he tried out and made the Green Bay Packers practice squad. As he went through training camp and preseason games, the Packers signed him to the 53-man roster. He then spent the last five seasons, playing in 68 games, starting 18 of them.

Now Tonyan is playing on the right side of the Packers/Bears rivalry. He is a local guy who grew up in McHenry, IL. Playing for the Chicago Bears was his childhood dream come true.

The Bears needed an effective TE2. In 2022, Ryan Griffin and Trevon Wesco combined for only 6 catches for 52 yards. Starter Cole Kmet had to play 94 percent of the offensive snaps as a result.

Now, with Tonyan, Kmet can get more rest and stay fresh throughout the season. Additionally, the Bears can play more two-tight end sets. That will be especially valuable in the red zone. Having two big, athletic tight ends as targets will be a big help for quarterback Justin Fields. Even if the defense covers everyone, they won’t be able to get to Fields when he runs it in.

Tonyan showed a knack for finding the end zone. In 2020, he had 11 touchdown catches. Last season, Kmet had 7 of them.

Tonyan knows the offensive system

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy also came over from Green Bay. While he wasn’t the offensive coordinator there, he was the passing game coordinator. Some of his offensive system with the Bears came from the Packers.

Having played in Green Bay, Tonyan has a good feel of what Getsy wants to do. He understands the language and the scheme so he could help Kmet and his other teammates on offense. This is what Getsy said about Tonyan.

Bobby’s going to be a really good example for (Kmet) with all the experiences that he has been through within the system. Even to kind of give him some cool nuances of how we can do what we do better.

With Tonyan, Getsy can feel confident that if he sits Kmet for a rest he still has a dependable tight end. Tonyan is a good pass catcher and blocker. The extra rest for Kmet will help him keep his motor up and make more big plays.

In addition to being important in the red zone, Tonyan helps the wide receivers as well. First of all, since there is not much of a drop with him on the field and not Kmet, the defense has to account for him. That leaves one of the receivers open. Second, with Tonyan and Kmet on the field, the receivers could run deeper routes. If the defense zeroes in on them, Tonyan or Kmet will be open underneath. If the defense concentrates on the tight ends, then Fields could go over the top for a big play.

Tonyan gives the Chicago Bears offense much more flexibility and options. With him, this is a more wide open offense that can make big plays. It could be fun watching what Getsy can do now that he has the tools to effectively run his offense.