One of the most critical position battles at Chicago Bears training camp, coming up in about a month is at tight end between Cole Kmet and rookie first-round pick Colston Loveland.
The Bears took Loveland with the 10th overall pick in the draft, which can only mean his role in the offense in 2025 should be significant. It might be bad news for Kmet, who has been the team's top tight end over the last five years.
There are several questions at tight end as to how Kmet and Loveland fit together and their usage in the offense. It might be a case of potentially Kmet finding a new home in 2025 if he doesn't fit into the future plans of the franchise.
Kmet named as one of top trade block candidates
Bleacher Report writer Kristopher Knox shared his big board of the top 10 trade block candidates and where they could end up. Kmet was number three on the list as Loveland could play a part in him exiting the door.
"There are a few reasons why Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet could be on the move sooner than later—even though he has three years remaining on his contract.
The most obvious reason is that Chicago just used a first-round pick on tight end Colston Loveland. Kmet has been a very good pass-catching tight end for the Bears, averaging over 500 receiving yards per season. However, new head coach Ben Johnson may prefer Loveland's skill set.
According to Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times (h/t Jordan Sigler of Chi City Sports), Johnson may have more say on personnel decisions than general manager Ryan Poles, who signed Kmet to an extension in 2023.
The 26-year-old is also set to carry a cap hit of $11.6 million in each of the next three seasons, which is a lot for a second tight end. Chicago could save $10 million in 2025 cap space by trading him."
Knox likes the Kansas City Chiefs or the Los Angeles Chargers to be potential trade partners for Kmet. Chargers are a good landing spot as they have injuries at tight end and could use Kmet as a starter. As for Kansas City, Travis Kelce is at the tail end of his career, and Kmet could be his eventual successor.
Kmet had a down season in 2024 as he had 47 receptions for 474 yards, the lowest since his rookie season in 2020. His four touchdown receptions were also the lowest he's had since 2021.
A positive note about his 2024 season was that Kmet caught 85.4% of his targets, the highest percentage of his career. That at least shows that when the ball went in his direction, he was making the reception.
Read more: Latest Colston Loveland minicamp buzz says everything about his role with Bears
It feels like with Loveland in the picture, Kmet's numbers will only continue to drop. The Bears built up the offensive line, so Williams will have more protection from his 68 sacks, which is good news. They added Loveland and Luther Burden III in the draft, which will only take targets away from Kmet.
The Bears would be wise to hold on to Kmet for the time being and see how the first half of the season ago. If his production keeps going down and Loveland is emerging as a start like they hope, then make the move to trade Kmet away.