The Chicago Bears are expecting big things from third-year tight end Cole Kmet, who’s finally looking for that breakout season.
Kmet is coming off an encouraging 2021 campaign where his production significantly increased in Year 2. Kmet ranked eighth in targets (93) among tight ends and had 60 receptions for 612 yards but no touchdowns.
But the scary thing is he’s only now starting to tap into his full potential under this new coaching staff, which has offensive coordinator Luke Getsy believing Kmet can be a “rock star” on offense.
“Cole is still young in his career and he has a lot of really cool tools,” Getsy said. “I think he’s starting to learn how to use them.
“You talk about a guy that we hope can do a lot of different things. We’ve lined him up wide. We’ve let him do some routes outside. We’ve brought him in tight. We’ve put him in-line and made him block the big boys up front, too, and I think the cool part about him is that he can do all of that stuff really well.
“He’s got to get better at just about everything because I think he’s on the brink right now of taking his game to another level. So I’m hopeful that by the time we get through this camp, he’s ready to be a rock star for us because we’re going to need him to be.”
Veteran Ryan Griffin believes Kmet has the tools to be a great tight end in the NFL. Now, it’s about putting it all together.
“He’s got all the tools in the bag. I’m excited to see what he can do too. The sky is the limit for him,” Griffin said. “He’s got all the tools. Lot of guys have tools in this league. It’s the want to, to get better, to learn, to take in knowledge and then put it out on the field. He’s shown he can do that. He will do that. That’s what makes me believe he’s going to be a great tight end in this league.”
- The Bears returned to Halas Hall for their ninth practice of training camp. Here’s what we learned from the fourth padded practice of the summer.
- Teven Jenkins returned to practice on Saturday, and he also addressed a number of topics with the media afterward. We broke it all down.
- The Bears are dealing with a number of injuries at wide receiver. Byron Pringle has a quad injury that’s more than day-to-day while N’Keal Harry suffered an apparent left leg injury during practice.
- Chicago made some roster moves on defense with the signing of LB DeMarquis Gates and waiving of LB Christian Albright, as well as the expected signing of LB Javin White.
- OC Luke Getsy said the team isn’t close to solidifying the offensive line and will continue to experiment with different combinations heading into the preseason.
- Go big or go home. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their bold predictions for the defense heading into the 2022 season.
- Darnell Savage’s hamstring injury checks out fine following Family Night. READ MORE ON PACKERS WIRE.
- Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell reiterates competition at center. READ MORE ON VIKINGS WIRE.
- Dan Campbell fires up the Ford Field crowd as only he can. READ MORE ON LIONS WIRE.
