When talking about the overhaul of the Chicago Bears offensive coaching staff, the name who never gets mentioned is Clancy Barone. Juan Castillo, John DeFilippo, and Bill Lazor have soaked up the limelight. Yet a guy who has coached in the NFL for 16 years and has a Super Bowl ring barely gets attention. Such is the reality of handling a position of lesser importance like tight end.
This despite it being probably the one position that held the offense back the most in 2019. Not that Barone is complaining. He has a tough job ahead of him. Less attention allows him to focus on that. Tight end is a vital component of Matt Nagy’s system. That is why it was overhauled from top to bottom. Trey Burton is gone. Three new faces have arrived. Longtime veteran Jimmy Graham and noted blocker Demetrius Harris came first.
Yet the one that has Barone’s full attention is rookie 2nd round pick Cole Kmet.
Remember this is a coach who worked with Alge Crumpler, Julius Thomas, Antonio Gates, and Kyle Rudolph. All tight ends who played in multiple Pro Bowls. So he’s worked with some of the best. That’s why his extensive breakdown of Kmet is interesting. The man seems hyped up about the chance to coach him.
“He’s very athletic. He’s a big guy. I don’t know if you’ve ever met him in person now. He is a big man. Has great length. He’s got good speed. I mean, 4.70 (40), that is no slouch for a big guy like that. You watch him, and their offense — they have produced pretty good tight ends at that school, going all the way back to Dave Kasper and whatever else. He fits in that mold of all those Irish tight ends, right? Kyle Rudolph. They’re the same kind of body type and so forth.
But I look at him and he’s got great body control and he goes up and makes hard catches look routine. And there’s times where maybe the ball wasn’t on his body, but he has great length and can pivot and make the hard catch seem easy. I see him as a blocker, a guy who is certainly willing. And I think blocking, for a tight end, it’s being willing and it’s a mindset. And he has both of those. I see a very high ceiling for Cole Kmet.”
Clancy Barone expects big things from Kmet
The Bears coaches in general are anxious to finally get together with their players. Contact between the two sides has yet to happen due to the COVID-19 issue. Barone sounds like he can’t wait to get his hands on Kmet. Not a surprise. The guy has already been putting in a ton of work. Matt Nagy seemed annoyed the rookie has picked up the playbook surprisingly fast. Kmet has also worked out with Mitch Trubisky and others in throwing drills.
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He is making sure he’ll arrive in training camp well-prepared and in shape. At that point, it falls to Barone to help him take the next step. Expectations for Kmet are varied from expert to expert. Some think he can be a factor right away. Others believe he’ll take time to develop. From the way the Bears talk, they wouldn’t be surprised at all if he comes out and delivers right away.