Yahoo Sports 15 Most Impactful Bears of 2024: No. 15 Cole Kmet
The Chicago Bears completed their 2024 season with a 5-12 record that included a 10-game losing streak and making a coaching change during the season for the first time in franchise history. Head coach Matt Eberflus was fired, and the Bears got a head start in finding their next coach, which ended up being Ben Johnson, who will look to turn Caleb Williams into a franchise quarterback and make this team competitive in the NFC North.
Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be counting down our 15 Most Impactful Bears from the 2024 season, which includes a mix of savvy veterans and exciting young players. We will recap their 2024 campaigns and look ahead to how they might factor into the 2025 season.
First up is tight end Cole Kmet, who had some memorable moments but took a step back compared to his 2023 production.
Background
Position: Tight end
Age: 25
Experience: 5th season
2024 cap hit: $11.6 million
2024 stats
55 targets, 47 receptions, 474 yards, 4 touchdowns (17 games)
2024 recap
Kmet was the second-leading pass catcher on the 2023 squad behind DJ Moore but faced more competition when it came to targets in 2024. With additions such as running back D'Andre Swift, wide receivers Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, and even tight end Gerald Everett, Kmet's role was more cloudy than it had been in the past. In Week 1, Kmet played behind Everett and saw just one pass for four yards in the rollercoaster victory against the Tennessee Titans.
The production would improve as Kmet tallied 10 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown in Week 3, a season high for him. After a relatively productive first couple of months that included a multi-touchdown game against the Jacksonville Jaguars while he filled in as long snapper, however, Kmet's usage began to decrease. After Week 6, Kmet had just one game with more than 50 receiving yards, and he was targeted a grand total of eight times in the final five games. He didn't help his cause thanks to unfortunate drops, but Kmet's production declined steadily compared to 2023.
2025 outlook
Barring a shocking trade of some sort, the longest-tenured Bears player on offense will be back in 2025 and should be a key fixture for Ben Johnson's new scheme. Johnson was able to get the most out of Lions tight end Sam LaPorta over the last two seasons, totaling over 1,600 yards and 17 touchdowns since coming into the league, despite playing third fiddle to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
LaPorta is smaller than Kmet and runs faster, but the Bears tight end cut weight last offseason to improve his game. Kmet, who has yet to miss a single game during his NFL career, should once again hover around 500-600 yards and six receiving touchdowns as a third option for Williams behind Moore and Odunze.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 15 Most Impactful Bears of 2024: No. 15 Cole Kmet
