Chicago Bears confirm suspicions about Cole Kmet’s injury, leaving a massive void in the offense and big shoes for a struggling rookie to fill
Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson leans heavily on multi-tight end sets, and now a rookie who struggled with mental mistakes early this season could be thrust into a much bigger role on offense.
The Chicago Bears picked up a big win over the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, but it came with one major loss. Tight end Cole Kmet left the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury, and the Bears had to cart him to the locker room.
Kmet immediately had a non-contact issue with his knee prior to contact on the play, and it didn’t look good as soon as he went down. As the cart took him off the field, Kmet gave a thumbs-up to the crowd. And shout out to Patriots safety Kevin Byard, the former Bears All-Pro, was there to support Kmet when the cart came out. That speaks volumes about the respect Kmet has earned.
But, the initial suspicions that have circulated all morning on Friday have unfortunately been confirmed. Kmet has suffered a serious knee injury and will be placed on the injured reserve, the team confirmed, leaving a massive void in Chicago’s offense going into the rest of the season.
Cole Kmet is the heart and soul of the Bears’ offense
Kmet might not show up on the stat sheet with big games very often, but he’s a huge part of everything this offense does. He’s a key piece in the run game, in pass protection, and in the multi-tight end sets that define this unit. Not to mention the big plays he’s made in clutch moments over the years.
“I’ve got so much respect for the player that he is, but also for the person, the leader,” head coach Ben Johnson said. “He’s everything that we want to be about here. He’s one of the glue guys. He’s a guy that I can count on whether it’s a messaging standpoint or to get the pulse of the team. He’s going to be sorely missed. I think, he’s Chicago, you know. He’s been here his whole life and he’s a big part of our heartbeat. It stinks. It does. I hate it for him. I hate it for his teammates as well, and yet the train keeps rolling on.”
Honestly, he’s the heart and soul of this entire group. We’re talking about a guy who the the longest-tenured player on the roster that has missed one game in seven seasons. This is such an unfortunate outcome, and we can talk about what his future looks like in Chicago after this season at a later point, now’s not the time.
“Cole’s been there for me every step of the way, through the first year, through the second year, and now through this year. I don’t have the words to describe what Cole is to me, what Cole is to this team,” quarterback Caleb Williams said after the game. “I’ll be right there with him through every step of whatever the injury is.”
Kmet’s value goes beyond catches and yards. When Chicago wants to run the ball or keep an extra blocker in to protect the quarterback, he’s often the player doing the dirty work to make it happen. We’re talking about a guy that has played 62 percent of the offensive snaps this season. That kind of contribution is hard to replace, even in a tight end room as deep as this one.
Sam Roush now has to grow up fast
Without Kmet, the spotlight shifts to Sam Roush. The rookie has struggled with penalties and bad mistakes, which isn’t uncommon for a first-year player learning Johnson’s offense. However, Roush no longer has the luxury of easing into the role and it’s helpful that Johnson keeps on trusting him.
With Kmet now out, Roush is basically a starter in this offense. Which means he needs to clean up those mistakes and be ready to go right away. The Bears can’t afford to let this be a weak link in an offense that leans so heavily on tight ends.
Entering Week 7, the Bears had 93 rushing attempts with 2-TEs (most in the NFL), 60 rushing attempts with 3-TEs (4th in the NFL), 87 dropbacks with 2-TEs (2nd in the NFL), and 34 dropbacks with 3-TEs (3rd in the NFL). It’s a HUGE part of this offense.
The good news is that Roush has already been playing 22 percent of the offensive snaps. So, it’s not like the Bears are trotting out a green rookie that hasn’t played at all. Still, there’s a big difference between rotating in behind veterans and carrying a starter’s workload every week.
Meanwhile, the Bears could also look to the practice squad for added depth. Tight end Stephen Carlson may be an option Chicago calls up more often in the coming weeks. UDFA rookie Hayden Large is another option the team liked in camp but he’s still on the IR. Perhaps the Bears even lean into using Trapilo/Benedet at swing tackle as a jumbo-TE.
But given how complex this position is in Johnson’s offense, I don’t expect the Bears to make outside moves to find a replacement for Kmet. This is where Johnson has to prove the selection of Roush was worth it.
