The Chicago Bears are learning a new offense under Luke Getsy, where they’re transitioning to a run-heavy team with the outside zone. It’s an offense head coach Matt Eberflus has described as “very quarterback friendly,” and the hope is this offense can finally get on track.
Tight end Cole Kmet, who’s entering his third season, explained exactly how he envisions being utilized in Chicago’s new offense.
“You kind of see how the tight end’s involved in the run scheme,” Kmet said, “and, off of that, the play-action movements and all those type of things can be really advantageous for tight ends.”
For Kmet, he’s excited about his role, as he’s seen the success that guys like San Francisco’s George Kittle and Green Bay’s Robert Tonyan have had in similar systems.
Kmet is coming off an encouraging second season with the Bears, where his production nearly doubled from his rookie year. Kmet had 60 receptions for 612 yards but no touchdowns. Although he did rank eighth in targets (93) among tight ends.
This offseason, Kmet has been focused on improving a couple of aspects of his game — catching every pass with his hands and more violence with his blocks. But he’ll have to wait to tackle that last one until the pads come on in training camp this summer.
With a new coaching staff in place, Kmet understands that he has something to prove. But he’s working to show them that they’re getting a tight end who can do it all.
“For me, it’s just taking it day-to-day,” Kmet said, “doing my best to show the coaches what I’m capable of doing and being able to do multiple things; not just being a [receiver], not just being a run blocker, but being able to show them that I can be involved in everything, because if you can do both, run and pass really well, you’re going to get some nice open passes in the field.”
