Cole Kmet dubbed Chicago Bears’ best-kept secret

Much has been made this offseason about the Chicago Bears’ lack of firepower at wide receiver. But one player rarely mentioned in that group of pass-catchers for quarterback Justin Fields is tight end Cole Kmet.

Kmet joined the Bears as a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft and set career highs in receptions (60) and yards (612) in 2021. With tight end traditionally being a position that takes longer for players to emerge, Kmet’s development at 22 years old (he turned 23 in March) is encouraging.

Still, Kmet remains an afterthought in any discussion about the Chicago Bears offense. It’s why Bleacher Report named him the Bears’ best-kept secret entering the 2022 season.

Kmet will be a big part of Luke Getsy’s offense this season. It’s a system that’s turned players like San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle into a superstar. Most recently, Green Bay Packers tight end Robert Tonyan enjoyed a breakout 2020 campaign with 11 touchdowns.

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Cole Kmet’s upside remains high in Year 3

There’s a lot to like about Cole Kmet’s upside this year. He has the physical and athletic profile to be a dominant red-zone target. And there’s nowhere to go but up in that department. He didn’t score a touchdown last season and has only two in his career. Kmet was hindered by former coach Matt Nagy’s loyalty to Jimmy Graham, but that’s about to change in 2022.

It isn’t all rainbows and butterflies with Kmet, however. He hasn’t flashed top-tier playmaking upside yet, and if he doesn’t break out in 2022 and emerge as one of the NFC’s top playmaking tight ends, the Chicago Bears will have no choice but to explore an upgrade in the offseason.

I’ve been a critic of Kmet early in his career. I haven’t seen enough juice or twitch in his game to feel good about his chances of becoming more than, say, former Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph. Perhaps, that’s good enough, though. Rudolph’s best season came in 2016 when he had 840 yards and seven touchdowns. A 2022 season like that from Kmet will level up the Bears’ passing game. Keep in mind, however, that Rudolph didn’t have more than 634 yards in any of his other 10 seasons in the league.

Every skill player on the Chicago Bears is getting a fresh start in 2022. That includes Cole Kmet, who, if everything clicks for him in his third season as a pro, could go from best-kept secret to Pro Bowler.