Bears 2024 training camp preview: Tight Ends

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet broke out of his shell last season. The No. 43 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft recorded career highs in receptions (73) and receiving yards (719). Kmet’s six receiving touchdowns fell one short of matching his 2022 total (a personal-best seven).

The Bears are scheduled to enter training camp with six tight ends on Poles’ 90-man roster. Several veterans, ascending talents, and even undrafted free agents are vying for back-end positioning. Let’s assess the Chicago Bears’ tight ends ahead of training camp.

Cole Kmet

The challenge for Kmet will be to replicate 2023’s impact despite having Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze now on the roster challenging him for targets. Kmet’s statistical production may decline as a result. As long as he remains a high-level pass-catcher that earns Caleb Williams’ trust, the Bears will be pleased with his performance regardless of what the box score states.

Gerald Everett

Gerald Everett will upgrade the TE2 position behind Kmet. His presence should give Williams another passing-game outlet as offensive coordinator Shane Waldron prepares to field a pass-happier iteration of the Bears offense. Everett accumulated 46 catches for 376 yards and three touchdowns with the Los Angeles Chargers last year.

Marcedes Lewis

The Bears re-signed Marcedes Lewis to a one-year contract in June. He’ll return for his 19th campaign in 2024. The former UCLA standout played 332 snaps for the Bears last season. He was a crucial member of the offense, accounting for roughly 29.17% of all offensive snaps while earning a run-blocking grade of 73.7 from Pro Football Focus.

Tommy Sweeney

Sweeney signed a one-year contract with the Bears in free agency in May. The Bears re-signed Lewis approximately one month later, which poses a serious threat to Sweeney’s 53-man roster chances (unless the Bears keep four tight ends). A six-year pro, he originally entered the league as a seventh-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2019 draft.

Stephen Carlson

Stephen Carlson initially joined the Bears in 2023 following a successful rookie minicamp workout. He’s been an on-again, off-again member of the practice squad ever since. Poles signed Carlson to a reserves/future contract this past January. The practice squad is his likely destination.

Brenden Bates

Brenden Bates is a rookie undrafted free agent. He spent six seasons at Kentucky, appearing in 58 career games. In 2023, Bates recorded four receptions for 89 receiving yards. He was primarily used as a blocking tight end, and could develop on the practice squad as Lewis’ eventual successor.