Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Both Tonyan and Sternberger missed large chunks of the season last year, and Tonyan appeared headed for a larger role with Sternberger out for the first half of 2019, until the spectacular catch and subsequent injury.
"I think he was making his way," LaFleur said. "Anytime you get a young player that hasn't had a ton of experience and you take him out for a while, yeah, it totally sets you back. To his credit he showed a lot of toughness in being able to come back."
Tonyan caught his second touchdown pass in early December last year – his first was his first NFL reception on an Aaron Rodgers scramble-bomb at Seattle in 2018 – but his overall production post-injury fell off the pace. He had four catches for 66 yards through five games last year and just six grabs for 34 yards in eight games after that, through the postseason.
Opportunity abounds for the Packers' tight ends with the team having moved on from Jimmy Graham, and Tonyan believes he can answer the call. He senses others, like Lewis and LaFleur, believe in him, too.
"We're just really excited to have him healthy," LaFleur said. "I can tell he's really worked hard this offseason. He was down in Nashville and busting his butt on a daily basis, and I think it's going to pay off for him."