Will TE Robert Tonyan keep a rookie off the 53-man roster?
With the Steelers signing veteran TE Robert Tonyan, an Aaron Rodgers favorite, some of the rookie class should be concerned.
Two rookies could be impacted, at least, depending on how the Steelers construct their 53-man roster. Fifth-round pick Riley Nowakowski could now be in direct competition with him, for example. While spoken of in fullback terms, he is clearly just as much a tight end in function.
Seventh-rounder Eli Heidenreich could also be in trouble if Pittsburgh keeps both Nowakowski and Tonyan.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that Tonyan even makes the 53-man roster. Just because he used to play with Aaron Rodgers doesn’t mean he has a free ride. After all, there’s a reason he was available to sign with the Steelers in June. And there’s a reason he came in as a tryout player.
At 32 years old, Tonyan has one catch over the past two seasons, and only 12 in the three seasons since exiting Rodgers’ orbit.
With Rodgers, however, Tonyan was a productive pass-catching tight end. In his two mostly-healthy seasons, he caught 52 passes for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns one year, and 53 for 470 and 2 during the other. But he’s never had more than two touchdowns in any other year.
The Steelers already have two tight ends making eight-figure annual salaries on the roster in Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.
Riley Nowakowski figured to slide into that third spot, functioning also as a fullback. A fifth-round pick doesn’t have a guaranteed roster spot, though. If Robert Tonyan forces his way onto the roster, somebody has to lose a spot.
Pittsburgh already has a pile-up in the running back room, too. Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle are the locks, with Kaleb Johnson, Travis Homer and Eli Heidenreich competing for a third — and potentially fourth — spot. They’ve kept four running backs before, but keeping four tight ends makes that much harder.
The Steelers have managed to hold onto every draft pick for the past three years without waiving them, though some spent their rookie seasons on IR.
With 10 draft picks this year, that streak likely comes to an end. Robert Tonyan may or may not play a role in that, but training camp — and possibly injuries — will sort it all out.
The Steelers have a long road ahead of them under Mike McCarthy, along with his cadre of quarterbacks.With seven consecutive postseason losses, and no wins in nearly a decade, they are under fire for their repeated playoff failures. While we have seen many changes, none could dream of topping Mike Tomlin resigning.
We’re already deep into the offseason, with free agency and the draft already reshaping rosters. The Steelers, of course, are used to early offseason mode as a team thatloses by the middle of January all the time. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.
Recommended for you