Chicago Bears: 3 Winners from Week 9 vs. Steelers

Week 9 Winner No. 3: Cole Kmet

It is safe to say that Cole Kmet has become a large part of the Chicago Bears offense. He came out of Pittsburgh as the leader in targets, receptions, and yards after hauling in six catches on eight targets for 87 yards. This is his third game in a row, with at least six targets going back to the Buccaneers matchup.

While Cole Kmet is not the most outstanding athlete at the tight end position, he has proven to be a dependable target for Justin Fields, especially recently. Bill Lazor has made it a main part of the offense to get him involved, and he has started to develop solid chemistry with Fields. Whenever the ball goes Kmet’s way, it feels like there is more chance than not that Kmet comes down with the football.

Tight ends usually take a little bit longer to develop, and young ones tend to focus on blocking more than pass-catching to start their careers. After last year and how the Bears brought him along slowly, it is nice to see him becoming a large part of the offense. It would be great if they could use him as more of a red-zone target too, but his improvement over the last few weeks leaves lots to be excited for.

Cole Kmet has received a lot of criticism after being taken in the early second round in the 2020 NFL Draft. While he has not become a star just yet, he shows that he can be one of the up-and-coming star tight ends in the NFL after another strong effort.

Kmet has been lethal on play-action as a safety option for Justin Fields, and the two have recently worked up quite the chemistry. Let’s hope this translates to Allen Robinson going forward, and maybe we can see a different offense with more firepower after the BYE week coming up.