Cole Kmet reflects on Bears’ progress and future

Ariana Pensy · Correspondent · 3 hours ago

CHICAGO - Tight end Cole Kmet has been with the Bears since 2020, which is longer than most players and even coaches Chicago currently has. He has seen a lot of the ups and downs in his time, although this year may finally be the year when the Bears put everything together.

However, it has not been smooth sailing. The offense has struggled with consistency throughout training camp, which showed during Chicago’s final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite coming out on top, the starters struggled on both sides of the ball.

Nonetheless, Kmet feels the offense has made progress throughout training camp.

“I think we’ve made steps for sure. I think our physicality has upped dramatically since the beginning of camp. I think adding pads and seeing the run game a little bit come to life there at the end in Kansas City and (come) together in a few of the joint practices and the physicality really showing up on type. I think that’s really good. I think guys are playing fast,” Kmet said. “We’re getting off the count much better than we were in the beginning of camp. That being said, I think what showed up in Kansas City and what’s kind of ebbed and flowed throughout camp is a little bit of our inconsistency in terms of penalties and getting operated correctly and those are things that we need to get corrected quickly here if we want to have the success we want to have this season.”

Head coach Ben Johnson is the third head coach Kmet has played under in his time with the Bears. Matt Nagy was an offensive-minded coach, while Matt Eberflus was a defensive-minded coach.

Johnson is typically regarded as an offensive coach, but he brings much more to the game, including his extensive knowledge and his ability to operate the offense in a way that puts players in the best position possible to succeed.

“The way he puts guys in certain positions to succeed and I know the coaching staff, I think they’ve done a good job of really letting everybody have an opportunity at doing things throughout camp and I’m interested to see as we go forward here in the season, how we game plan against certain opponents for matchups and whatnot,” Kmet said. “But, I think Ben (does) a really good job of putting guys in positions to succeed and I think that’s the number one thing you want in your coach is to put you in a position to do well and not ask you to do things that maybe you’re not great at, but put you in positions to do your best and to execute at a high level and you can really see Ben trying to do that and the coaching staff doing that throughout this camp so far.”

One thing Johnson implemented back when he was the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions was the two tight-end offense. That is where rookie tight end Colston Loveland comes into the picture. Loveland was not drafted to replace Kmet; they are probably going to be on the field at the same time with some frequency throughout the season.

There is a lot a rookie tight end has to learn when adjusting to the NFL.

However, Kmet has seen the game slow down for Loveland already, and he tends not to make the same mistake twice.

“For any rookie, especially a tight end, it’s in the run game or pass game, there’s a lot going on. There’s front shifting, coverages being flipped, rotating safeties, corner cats that you’ve got to be aware of. You got a defensive technique. What is that telling you about what the corner might do, what the nickel might do?” Kmet said. “And, you’ve seen him maybe make a mistake or not recognize something and then the next time he gets that look, he nails it. So, he’s a really smart player. That’s been cool to see and obviously his athleticism and his ability’s off the charts. So, I’m excited to see him grow this year and see what he can do to help our team.”

Perhaps one of the best stories in the NFL is Tyson Bagent’s rise to solidify himself as the No. 2 quarterback for the Chicago Bears and secure his two-year, $10 million extension.

His emotional reaction to receiving his extension was so raw and genuine, highlighting the profound impact football can have.

“Tyson’s a killer and he’s a competitor and so to see him, obviously, with the extension, was super happy for him to get that off his plate and to secure that for himself and his family. That’s awesome and for him to go out and be the competitor who he is and there was no doubt in my mind that he was going to go down and score a touchdown and go win the game,” Kmet said. “That’s just who he is and for (undrafted rookie wide receiver) Jahdae (Walker) to show up like that, that was really cool to see. So, some really cool moments at the end of the preseason game for sure.”