Cole Kmet could be primed for a breakout third season
The Chicago Bears receiving room will need players to step up and Cole Kmet could be the guy. The Chicago Bears will have a lot of new faces in 2022. All Bears players will be undergoing a huge transformation year as the team has a new coaching staff.
One NFL writer thinks Kmet could be the best Bears player flying under the radar. Writing for Bleacher Report, Gary Davenport wrote about potential breakout stars who weren’t former Pro Bowl guys and he excluded most first-round draft players.
Here’s what Davenport wrote about the Bears’ secret stud-to-be:
There is substantial pressure on Justin Fields to take a major step forward as the quarterback for the Chicago Bears in 2022. Given the passing-game talent at his disposal, that’s not going to be easy—there’s not much on the roster behind Darnell Mooney at wide receiver.
That means that third-year tight end Cole Kmet is going to have to step up this season…
Kmet was already a sizable part of the passing game last year—his 93 targets, 60 receptions, and 612 receiving yards were all second on the team behind Mooney.
Bigger and better things should be in store in 2022.
Cole Kmet needs to find the endzone first.
Kmet has been working on his pass blocking this offseason. He told the media in May he was “craving violence” in the Bears new offense. He did alright as a tight end last season. However, Kmet’s receiving yards don’t tell the full story.
A tight end has to be able to use their body to fight for balls in the endzone. Kmet has struggled in the red zone since coming into the league. He has scored only two touchdowns in his first two seasons. Both scores came in 2020.
Kmet thought last year he and quarterback Justin Fields struggled on timing in the red zone. He was quick to blame struggles on the Bears quarterback carousel.
“I mean it’s tough on a player trying to get a feel for guys and different kinds of scheme changes depending on who the quarterback is,” Kmet said in May’s press conference. “So for me just always doing what I’m asked and that’s all you can control.”
If Cole Kmet can figure out how to put more points on the board in 2022, he could find a way to become a top ten tight end and maybe improve his Madden rating. Right now, he’s a secret around the league for a reason.
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