Bears news roundup: Cole Kmet is out for the season, Ben Johnson has no regrets

Chicago Bears fans are heading into the weekend feeling pretty good about the team after a 30-24 Thursday night win over the New England Patriots in Week 7.

Plenty of news came out of that game from the Bears' perspective. From key injuries to big performances to top players returning for Week 8.

Even just after the game, there are plenty of storylines to cover from the Week 7 win. Here are the top news stories from the Bears.

1. Cole Kmet has been ruled out for the rest of Bears' 2026 season
2. Beras rookie Sam Roush gets vote of confidence from Ben Johnson
3. Ben Johnson talks illegal play in win over the Patriots
4. Caleb Williams gets high praise from Ben Johnson (with room to improve)
5. Montez Sweat's suspension has been lifted

Cole Kmet has been ruled out for the rest of Bears' 2026 season

In the fourth quarter, the Bears saw Cole Kmet suffer a devastating knee injury, as he left the field on a cart. Many people saw Kmet collide with Patriots defenders; it was actually a non-contact injury that happened before the hits.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson announced on Friday that Kmet will go on IR and miss the rest of the season. It's a major blow to a season where Kmet had moments of stepping up, especially with Colston Loveland struggling early on. Kmet finishes the season with 10 receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown.

Beras rookie Sam Roush gets vote of confidence from Ben Johnson

With Kmet gone for the season, rookie third-round pick Sam Roush steps into the TE2 role behind Loveland. The rookie has had a shaky season, struggling with blocking, catching, and costly penalties. He has three receptions for 33 yards this year.

Johnson was asked about Roush stepping into the backup role and what that could look like. The Bears' head coach has a lot of confidence in his young tight end.

"We'll be able to see the player that we drafted. We had high hopes when we took him. ... I'm confident in what he's going to be able to do for us back half of the season."

Ben Johnson talks illegal play in win over the Patriots

An odd moment came up in that game. The Bears tried a trick play, handing the ball off to left guard Joe Thuney. While Thuney picked up a few yards, the Bears were called for an illegal forward handoff on the play.

Johnson was asked about this play and whether he regretted calling it. He didn't seem to mind that he tried something there.

"It's one of those things - shooters shoot. We shot and we missed."

Caleb Williams gets high praise from Ben Johnson (with room to improve)

Williams had yet another spectacular performance for the Bears in his second game back from his hamstring injury. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Patriots.

Johnson shared his thoughts on Williams and his play. He warned his quarterback, saying he was still leaving some things on the table.

"There's still a lot more out there for us (to improve). That's the encouraging part when I watch tape like this."

Montez Sweat's suspension has been lifted

The Bears got some good news to offset the devastating Kmet update: they officially got Sweat back. They announced on Friday that Sweat's suspension has been lifted after missing two games due to violating the league's PED policy.

Read more: Caleb Williams won't say it, but it's clear that Luther Burden is his Bears WR1

This season, Sweat has racked up seven tackles, four quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and two sacks. Luckily, his absence didn't hurt the team; they went 2-0 without him and got a standout performance from Daniel Hardy in the last two games. With Dayo Odeyingbo on IR, Sweat returns at the right time to add depth for the Bears.

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