Player: TE Robert Tonyan
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: Reuniting with Aaron Rodgers, Robert Tonyan is now on the Steelers’ 90-man roster, but will he make the team? The veteran tight end came in for a tryout during minicamp, earning himself a contract. But past his prime and with a declining resume, he’s far from a lock to reach the 53-man roster.
Robert Tonyan once caught 11 touchdowns in a season from Aaron Rodgers. But he was 26 years old at the time, and now he’s 32. And he’s played under 150 offensive snaps, combined, over the past two seasons. His ability to play on special teams could work in his favor, but it guarantees him nothing.
A former college free agent out of Indiana St., Robert Tonyan latched on with the Packers in late 2017. He signed to the practice squad that December, making the team outright a year later. After a five-year career with the Packers, working with Rodgers, however, his career went downhill.
Since 2023, he has played for the Bears, Vikings, and Chiefs, catching 12 passes on 17 targets with 0 touchdowns. Tonyan did log over 300 snaps in Chicago in 2023, but his playing time has since dropped. There’s a reason he was available for a tryout in June this offseason, after all.
The Steelers have two eight-figure tight ends on the roster already with Pat Freiermuth and now Darnell Washington. Between the two of them, they’re going to soak up a ton of snaps. And with Arthur Smith gone, they’re not going to play a third tight end nearly as often. That doesn’t mean Robert Tonyan isn’t the best third tight end they have available to them, though.
He is certainly the most experienced, the others having none. JJ Galbreath returns from spending some time on the practice squad a year ago as a rookie college free agent. This year, the Steelers used a fifth-round pick on Riley Nowakowski, whom they also consider a fullback. It’s tempting to call him a lock, but he’ll still have to earn a spot. It’s possible that both Tonyan and Nowakowski could make the roster, their roles sufficiently distinct, if they both play on special teams.
With the 2026 offseason well underway and many moves made, we have stock to take. Already promisinga year of change, the Steelers are shaking things up. That is unavoidable, of course, when you gut the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin’s resignation has fundamentally changed this football team, including the players on the roster.
After a long season, the Steelers showed the ability to win the division and make the playoffs. But they also showed that their progress was minimal,since they made it no further. Two years in a row, with two different quarterbacks, they went 10-7 and lost in the Wild Card Round. The only differences are they ended the season on a higher note and won the AFC North. But it didn’t help.
Recommended for you