Robert Tonyan’s Chiefs odds don’t look good (but one factor keeps him alive)

A quick history lesson won't provide a lot of hope for Robert Tonyan.

Tonyan is the journeyman veteran on the 90-man offseason roster for the Kansas City Chiefs currently slotted in as fourth tight end. He sits behind Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, and (assumedly) Jared Wiley. How long he will last is up to him, but, as we said, the past doesn't serve up much in the way of hope.

A quick look back reveals that the Chiefs have a penchant for keeping a vet hanging around as a "break glass in case of emergency" sort of flyer. That's not intended as a knock on Tonyan. Not is it meant to reduce his chances in any way based on what other players have or haven't done. It's just that the Chiefs have been here before.

One year ago, some fans were talking themselves into Irv Smith's potential to help the offense. The Chiefs added Wiley in the draft's fourth round out of TCU, and Smith found a new place to call home with the Houston Texans.

Kendall Blanton was around the previous season, in 2023, but was cut shortly before the season when the Chiefs decided to roll with the familiar trio of Kelce, Gray, and Blake Bell. Jody Fortson was also around for another year that offseason, his final one with the Chiefs, but he was sidelined with a preseason shoulder injury and stashed on IR. It's also unlikely he would have made the team out of training camp as well.

An interesting look at the Chiefs' recent history with veteran fringe tight ends.

Is there anything working in Tonyan's favor? Yes. As a matter of fact, the Chiefs have shown they are willing to keep four tight ends on the roster when they like the player fit. Special teams experience is huge for any player hoping to make the roster, and Tonyan certainly fits that bill after his seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Minnesota Vikings.

The Chiefs made a preseason trade for Peyton Hendershot (from the Dallas Cowboys) before the 2024 season and rolled into Week 1 with four tight ends. The Chiefs have also kept Blake Bell and Jody Fortson around as the third and fourth TEs. Even in 2020, Kelce was backed up by Nick Keizer, Ricky Seals-Jones, and Deon Yelder.

As for Tonyan's own history, it helps that he's both a special teams contributor as well as a proven pass catcher. He was a surprisingly relevant fantasy player in 2020 with the Packers in his only NFL season as a volume target for an injury-plagued Packers offense. Tonyan had 52 catches for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns that season. (Yes, 11 scores.)

In short, Tonyan can help a team in multiple ways and it's going to be interesting to see if he can differentiate himself in a way that forces a difficult roster decision. The competition will be tough (don't forget about UDFAs Jake Briningstool and Tre Watson) but that was always going to be the case for Tonyan in K.C.