The Chicago Bears hope they’re building something fun on the offensive side of the ball. People are excited about new arrivals like D.J. Moore, Tyler Scott, D’Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson, and Robert Tonyan. Such an influx of new faces can make it easy to forget about the established names eager to build on what was accomplished last year. Nobody can say that more than Cole Kmet. Outside of Justin Fields, he was the one who enjoyed the biggest breakout performance on that side of the ball.
While his 544 yards were down from his 2021 production, his seven touchdowns more than doubled his career high. It was the best all-around season a Bears tight end has had since Martellus Bennett in the early 2010s. Kmet is still only 24 years old. It is possible the best is still to come from him, especially as his experience and knowledge in Luke Getsy’s system continue to grow. It seems some around the NFL have taken notice. While he didn’t crack the top 10 of ESPN’s best tight ends rankings according to executives, coaches, and players, he was an honorable mention.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears: Kmet led the Bears in receiving yards (544), touchdowns (7) and receptions (50). “Big as hell, prototype Y body,” an NFC executive said. “Might be most competitive player on that team. High-end blocking ability but can also get adequate separation as a receiver with an excellent catch radius. Hard to bring down.”
Cole Kmet is proving Ryan Pace right.
Many people criticized the former GM for taking the Notre Dame tight end with the Bears’ first pick in the 2020 draft. However, time has shown it was a wise decision. He is developing into a rock-solid starter with a long, productive career ahead of him. That is exactly what you hope for from a 2nd round pick. Along with Jaylon Johnson and Darnell Mooney, that draft class may prove to be the highlight of Pace’s mostly disappointing run. It seems fitting Kmet is probably the closest of the three to a contract extension.
New GM Ryan Poles singled him out by name when the subject came up. It would be a great story. The local kid from Lake Barrington gets drafted by his hometown team and becomes their go-to guy at tight end. Not everybody gets to live out a dream like that. Cole Kmet seems more determined than ever to carry his game to new heights. This is spurred by the desire to help the Bears become a winner again, something they haven’t been since 2018. It appears the rest of the NFL sees bigger things ahead for him.
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