'Take that moment and run with it'

Robert was a natural, three-sport athlete, but football proved to be his true calling once he got to high school.

An all-conference quarterback during his junior and senior seasons at McHenry, Tonyan broke the school's career record for passing yards (5,000) with 40 touchdowns.

Still lightly recruited, Tonyan committed to Indiana State, where he played 11 games at quarterback as a true freshman in 2012. However, the decision was made after the season to move him to receiver.

Initially, it was a tough pill to swallow. Tonyan understood – his body was growing at a rapid pace – but quarterback was all he'd really known.

"I asked him once, 'Did you ever go through a low time where you thought you couldn't do it?'" Tammy said. "He said, 'Yeah, but it only lasted about 20 seconds.' That was when he was a quarterback and they made him a receiver at Indiana State."

As much as it hurt to give up quarterback, Tonyan found instant success at his new position. He hauled in 54 catches for 747 yards that first year on his way to becoming the Sycamores' all-time leader in career touchdown receptions (20) and second in school history with 2,047 receiving yards.

Bob Sr. attended every game during Robert's four seasons at Indiana State, while he and Tammy also were burning up the road traveling to Bowling Green, where his sister, Danielle, was an all-conference volleyball player.

In 2013, Bob and Tammy put 44,000 miles on their car traveling the turnpike to Ohio and following Robert around the Missouri Valley Conference.

As the years passed, there was optimism in the Tonyan household Robert might get a chance to play in the NFL, but everyone involved knew it would be an uphill battle.

There was a little mantra Bob Sr. instilled in both of his kids – you can do what you love or you can just exist. When Robert made it his goal to someday play in the NFL, Bob Sr. told his son that he and his wife supported him under one condition.

"I wanted him to look me in the eye and tell me this is a 100-percent thing, this is not fly by the seat of your pants," Bob Sr. said. "He assured me this is what he wanted. He's going to give it 100 percent and there was nothing that was going to stand in his way."

At the time Tonyan graduated in 2017, Indiana State hadn't had a player make an opening NFL 53-man roster since Dolphins offensive lineman John Bock in 2000. To play at the next level, it became obvious Tonyan would need to make one more position switch – this time to tight end. That meant more weight.

The problem was Robert has an extremely high metabolism. Tammy jokes he could eat four brats in the morning as a high-schooler and still manage to lose a pound. So the family put together a plan to help Tonyan accomplish his goal.

Robert worked out with Houston Texans tight end and fellow Illinoisan C.J. Fiedorowicz at Chris Leathers' Your World Fitness in Spring Grove, Ill. The two often bought four or five packages of chicken and grilled out together after workouts.

At home, Robert and Tammy split cooking duties on most days. For example, Robert often handled breakfast and lunch, while Tammy would cook lasagna and chicken, and other mixed vegetable dishes for dinner in addition to midnight sandwiches, when needed.

"We all put on weight. There was way too much food in the house," said Bob, laughing. "It's kind of easy when his mother is a great cook."

Whenever Tammy was stuck at work, Robert would go four houses down the street to his grandparents' home, where his "Oma" Maria Tonyan made food for him.

The routine lasted a little more than a year, taking Tonyan through his summer stint with the Lions and through most of the 2017 season. Criss-crossing the country in hope of landing a spot, months passed without any leads.

"We always just said give it everything you got and when you feel like you can't give anymore, pull it out and give more," Tammy said. "He knew he can do it. He just wanted somebody to give him a chance. That was the biggest thing. 'Somebody please give me a chance. I know I can do it.'"

Looking to dodge the gloominess that can accompany October and November in the Midwest, Tonyan spent time training in California before returning to Illinois prior to his December workout with the Packers.

There was a lot of anxiety leading up to that visit. While Robert had two more visits lined up afterward, he'd already invested so much mentally and physically into making his dream a reality.

Flying into Green Bay on a Monday with nothing more than a bag, Tonyan impressed the Packers' brass during his workout and was told by one scout to call his family and tell them "he wasn't coming home."

Overjoyed, Tonyan was presented with one problem.