It might’ve taken most of the season, but the Chicago Bears are finally starting to discover exactly what they have in rookie tight end Cole Kmet, who has become Chicago’s top tight end over the last few weeks.
Kmet is a big-bodied, physical tight end that will fight for extra yardage, as evidenced by his performance Sunday against the Houston Texans. In fact, Kmet’s 67 yards after the catch over the last two weeks ranks third among tight ends behind just Las Vegas’ Darren Waller and Kansas City’s Travis Kelce.
But there was one run after the catch in particular that has caught eyes across the NFL landscape. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky threw a beautiful sidearm pass to Kmet, who barreled ahead for the first down and then some, dragging defenders with him and refusing to go down.
That catch earned Kmet “angriest run” honors from Good Morning Football‘s Kyle Brandt, who was quite animated about the former Notre Dame tight end’s run.
Come for @ColeKmet winning ANGRIEST RUN, stay for our guy @KyleBrandt's ANGRY ENERGY. 😂🍿
🎥: @gmfb pic.twitter.com/Ma64LprfXW
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 15, 2020
As with many things this season, the question remains: Where has this been all season? As in, why has it taken the Bears so long to get Kmet involved in this offense? This is exactly what they could’ve used amid a deflating losing streak.
Kmet has succeeded since Bill Lazor took over play-calling duties from Matt Nagy, specifically in these previous two games against the Texans and Detroit Lions. Kmet has nine receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown in those two games compared to eight receptions for 94 yards and a score in the first 11 games.
With Kmet’s star on the rise, you’d expect to see a lot more of the rookie involved in Chicago’s offense, especially as the Bears are looking to make a late push for a wild card berth.
