Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet exited Tuesday's training camp practice with an injury, sparking concern within Bears Nation about the veteran leader's prognosis.
And while we don't have a concrete update as to what the nature of Kmet's injury was, there was some good news shared by CHGO's Adam Hoge as to the severity.
"Good news on the injury front as it sounds like Cole Kmet avoided a serious injury after leaving practice today with a trainer," Hoge tweeted.
Kmet faces competition for targets in Ben Johnson's offense from first-round pick Colston Loveland, who, by all accounts, has been having an outstanding training camp. If Kmet is sidelined for any period of time, Loveland will have a massive opportunity to emerge as the top pass-catching tight end much sooner than anyone would've expected.
Cole Kmet ended the 2024 season with just 47 catches for 474 yards and four touchdowns. It was a significant regression from 2023, when he totaled 73 catches for 719 yards and six scores. It's been well-documented that Kmet's struggles were more about failed offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's misuse of him, but he isn't getting an entirely clean slate under Johnson in 2025.
Sure, Kmet will resume a major role in the Chicago Bears' offense, and his standing as one of the locker rooms legitimate leaders remains unchanged. But, like most players, Kmet doesn't want to become second-fiddle to a rookie. However, it's a reality that seems inevitable.
The Bears selected Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick after the former Michigan Wolverine jumped off the film as an athletic, pass-catching mismatch. He's the type of player Ben Johnson covets, as evidenced by his usage of Sam LaPorta over the last two seasons with the Detroit Lions.
It's unfair to expect Loveland to have as big of an impact during his rookie season that LaPorta had (LaPorta scored 10 touchdowns), but there's no doubt he'll make a sizable contribution, regardless of Kmet's status on the depth chart.
