David Chao, MD
2 min read • June 30, 2022
Posted in
The Green Bay Packers' top redzone target tore his ACL on Oct. 28 of last season, which caused him to miss the majority of 2021.
While there is optimism coming out of Green Bay, and Tonyan even participating in "Tight End University" our panel of Pro Football Docs are being cautious and realistic with expectations for TE.
In March, it was reported that Tonyan had a "clean" tear, meaning only the ACL was torn, not the PCL or MCL. Due to this news, the Packers are reportedly confident Tonyan will be ready for Week 1 and general manager Brian Gutekunst said the tight end is "ahead of schedule.”
However, it would be a lot to ask Tonyan to play Week 1, and even if he does, he would not be 100% healthy.
It typically takes over a year for an athlete to completely recover from an ACL tear, thus our Pro Football Docs don't expect another break out year for the 28 year old, like he had in 2020.
Tonyan suffered an inguinal hip strain in 2019 that forced him to sit five games that season, and before the 2020 season, Tonyan underwent corrective core muscle surgery. The good news, we strongly believe the hip and core muscle injuries are behind him.
Part of the reason to why the team is saying, or hoping - Tonyan plays Week 1 is due to the departure of WR Davante Adams.
The Packers do have RBs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillion returning along with WRs Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Amari Rodgers. They also signed veteran WR Sammy Watkins and drafted rookie WR Christian Watson to help out the defending MVP, QB Aaron Rodgers.
Tonyan recently signed a 1-year deal worth $5.5M to stay with the Packers. He is considered a mid-tier fantasy TE.
Before the ACL tear, Tonyan saw 29 targets in eight games and caught two touchdowns while accounting for 204 receiving yards. While many expect Green Bay's passing attack to take a step back, with Rodgers behind center, anything is possible.
It is possible that Rodgers targets Tonyan frequently due to his comfort and trust in “Big Bob.”
Written by David Chao, MD
