LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — The Bears believe tight end Cole Kmet is one of the premier players at his position in the NFL. They've also rewarded him as such, signing him to a lucrative $50-million contract extension last year.
But in the season opener last Sunday at Soldier Field, the Bears didn’t utilize Kmet like one of their most important players on offense. Kmet played just 27 of the Bears’ 56 offensive snaps in a 24-17 win against the Titans. By comparison, veteran tight end Gerald Everett worked 34 snaps (61%) as a greater presence in the offense.
“We know Cole is one of the top tight ends in the league,” Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said. “He does a great job for us. He has done nothing but the right thing ever since I’ve been around him. So, that’s more on us, starting with me, getting the reps a little bit more balance. But it also goes back to playing efficient football.”
Kmet had just one catch for four yards Sunday. In 2023, he was one of the top targets for the Bears, hauling in 73 receptions for 719 yards and six scores. Everett, who signed a two-year deal in March, was part of Waldron’s offense with the Seahawks in 2021. He had one catch for minus-one yard Sunday.
The Bears seldom utilized Kmet and Everett together in designed packages, running just six plays with them in 12 personnel.
For his part, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus pushed back at the notion that Kmet’s lack of usage was an “oversight” in the Bears’ game plan.
“Certainly, do we want to get Cole involved in the game plan more in terms of catches and point of attack blocking and all those things? Yes, yes, we do,” Eberflus said. “But we’re looking for our formula for success on offense, and again, that’s going to take a little bit of time in terms of distributing the ball to the skill more evenly, and we’re working to do that this week.”
The Bears (1-0) visit the Houston Texans (1-0) on Sunday night at NRG Stadium.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.