Source + player page
Windy City Gridiron fantasy football takes on Cole Kmet
Every source-backed article insight STACKED has extracted from Windy City Gridiron about Cole Kmet.
31
Insights
20
Positive
3
Negative
Insight ledger
All Windy City Gridiron insights about Cole Kmet
NegativeProjectionSep 15, 2026
Kmet earned a 70.4 PFN Impact Score (20th of 31 TEs) in Week 1, placing him in the middle tier of tight end performance.PositiveRoleSep 14, 2026
Cole Kmet, the lesser-heralded of the Bears' two tight ends, stole the show in Week 1 with an insane touchdown grab, demonstrating his ability to produce in the Ben Johnson offense despite being overshadowed by the other tight end on the roster.PositiveUsageSep 14, 2026
Cole Kmet secured a receiving touchdown in Week 1 against Carolina's porous defense, contributing to the Bears' offensive explosion and demonstrating his role as a red-zone target in Chicago's scheme.PositiveUsageSep 13, 2026
Cole Kmet scored a touchdown in the second quarter of the Bears' 59-37 victory over the Panthers, contributing to Chicago's dominant offensive performance.PositiveProjectionSep 13, 2026
Superfans project Rome, Luther, and Kmet will each get a TD of their own.NegativeProjectionSep 11, 2026
Cole Kmet, in his 7th NFL season, is benchmarked against 2021 T.J. Hockenson (Detroit Lions), a comparison from Ben Johnson's stint as the Lions' tight ends coach. Kmet had extremely limited production to start 2025, but Hockenson remains a closer comp than most Johnson-coached products. Tight end milestones include 1,076 receiving yards (franchise record for TE – Ditka), 12 receiving TDs (franchise record for TE – Ditka), 90 receptions (franchise record for TE – Bennett), and 14 combined receiving TDs (2013 Broncos TEs).PositiveRoleSep 9, 2026
You'd be hard-pressed to find a better tight end duo than Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet; both are returning as part of the offensive continuity that should support the Bears' Year 2 offensive explosion under Ben Johnson.NegativeRoleSep 6, 2026
Cole Kmet, nicknamed 'Darth Burden,' is listed as a depth option at receiver behind WR1 Rome Odunze. If Odunze goes down, Kmet is available as a contingency target in the Bears offense.NegativeProjectionSep 5, 2026
Explicitly ruled out from reaching 1,000 receiving yards this season. The source projects Kmet will accumulate around 400 receiving yards, reflecting his role as a secondary receiving option despite the Bears' offensive firepower.NegativeDepth ChartAug 29, 2026
The source predicts Cole Kmet will make the 53-man roster as one of four tight ends.PositiveRoleAug 29, 2026
Kmet is projected as part of the Bears' tight end group, which the source describes as one of the league's better groups both in talent and depth heading into 2026.NegativeDepth ChartAug 28, 2026
The source projects Cole Kmet as the second tight end in a three-tight-end room alongside Colston Loveland and Sam Roush.PositiveUsageAug 28, 2026
Kmet was a consistent weapon for the Bears offense throughout the joint practice. He caught a shuffle pass from Williams off an RPO, was wide-open on a play-action shot in red-zone work for a touchdown, and was part of a trick play (handoff to D'Andre Swift, pitch back to Williams, downfield to Kmet). The tight-end room was described as the most consistent Bears weapon of the day, with Kmet central to that success.PositiveProjectionAug 27, 2026
Cole Kmet is part of the best tight end trio in the league alongside Colston Loveland and Sam Roush; when including Hayden Large and Stephen Carlson, the Bears tight end room is one of the best position groups in the league and positioned in a top 10 (goal: top 5) offense.PositiveRoleAug 26, 2026
Tight end praised the team's practice quality in post-practice presser, noting it was one of the better practices through camp after a strong finish to the nearly 2-hour session, suggesting offensive continuity and execution heading into joint practice with Tennessee.PositiveRoleAug 24, 2026
Cole Kmet is locked in as a core tight end in the Bears' anticipated 13 personnel package for 2026, with the team planning to keep four tight ends on the roster to maintain offensive continuity if one of the top three tight ends (Loveland, Kmet, or Sam Roush) suffers an injury.NegativeRoleAug 19, 2026
Cole Kmet was involved in a physical run during 11-on-11s that resulted in a fight with Austin Booker; the incident was described as 'nothing serious' with 'joking after,' indicating competitive intensity but no lasting concern.PositiveRoleAug 14, 2026
The source mentions Cole Kmet as a supporting piece in the Bears' skill group alongside Luther Burden, Rome Odunze, and Colston Loveland, suggesting he will contribute to the dynamic receiving corps in 2026.NegativeRoleAug 11, 2026
Cole Kmet was involved in the play where Coby Bryant suffered his knee injury during the first day of padded practices; Bryant came down awkward after getting tangled up with the 6'6", 257 tight end, providing context for the injury mechanism and Kmet's physical presence in practice.PositiveUsageAug 9, 2026
Tight end was on fire at the end of a team drill with the second-team offense alongside Tyson Bagent. He also gave Ruben Hyppolite coverage problems during practice.PositiveRoleAug 6, 2026
Kmet was targeted on a crossing route by Caleb Williams during practice, demonstrating his role in the offensive scheme.PositiveRoleAug 5, 2026
Tight end praised by OC Press Taylor for versatility and selflessness; this is the second coach to commend Kmet's team-first mentality and leadership. The source emphasizes that Kmet's value stems from both his versatility and his selfless approach, which contributes to the offense's explosive play design. Kmet epitomizes the Bears' offensive philosophy of attacking defenses rather than focusing on efficiency.NegativeRoleAug 3, 2026
Cole Kmet was involved in the 1-on-1 rep during which Coby Bryant suffered his left knee injury during the first padded practice. This provides context on Kmet's participation level and role in team drills.PositiveRoleAug 1, 2026
Tight end Cole Kmet, the Bears' longest-tenured player entering his seventh season with the organization, highlighted the operational clarity and coaching continuity as a major difference in this year's training camp compared to previous years. Kmet stated: "It's a different feel to camp than maybe in years past. I've spent a lot of my career wondering what's next and how's tomorrow going to go. I feel like I kinda know what to expect at this point, especially with this staff, and what they want to get done and what they expect from each individual." He emphasized the value of understanding his role within the offensive scheme and the team's direction: "It's nice coming in and getting ready for a season understanding how you fit in the scheme of things, and then also the direction of this offense, where we want it go, and the identity we want to forge." Kmet described the start of training camp as "operationally sound."NegativeUsageAug 1, 2026
The Bears are running more 13 personnel (three tight ends) with Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland, and Sam Roush, reflecting Johnson's scheme shift toward heavier run-game and pass-protection emphasis over Kmet's receiving volume.NegativeRoleAug 1, 2026
Under Ben Johnson in 2025, Cole Kmet's passing game opportunities have shrunk significantly; his 48 targets, 30 receptions, and 347 yards were his lowest totals since his rookie season (2020). Johnson's offense emphasizes run game and pass protection, reducing Kmet's receiving role despite his willingness to accept the shift in responsibilities.PositiveProjectionJul 30, 2026
aDOT of 8.8 in 2025 (only two tight ends behind Loveland's 9.0 in that category); while unlikely to approach 2023 career highs of 73 receptions and 719 yards, remains a top 32 player at the position; deployed in 13 personnel alongside Loveland and Sam Roush.PositiveRoleJul 28, 2026
Kmet is locked into the top three tight end spots as part of head coach Ben Johnson's emphasis on reworking the tight end room.PositiveRoleJul 26, 2026
Grizzled veteran Cole Kmet, who is just 27 years old, ranked 31st among all tight ends by PFF. Despite the presence of star youngster Colston Loveland, Kmet continues to play an important role; he hasn't recaptured his peak receiving performance but has averaged over 10 yards per reception in each of the past two seasons while tallying six touchdowns. Kmet's value as a blocker is extremely important for maintaining flexibility in Ben Johnson's offense.PositiveProjectionJul 22, 2026
Cole Kmet has a decent chance at breaking the franchise reception record for a tight end in 2026, positioning him as a high-volume target in the Bears offense.PositiveRoleJul 22, 2026
Kmet is part of one of the most talented tight end rooms in the NFL under new tight ends coach Jim Dray; Ben Johnson has made clear that tight end is the most important element of his layered, explosive offensive system, second only to the quarterback.