The Chicago Bears enter the Week 5 bye at 2-2 and have several areas for improvement throughout the entire team.
One surprising aspect, considering Ben Johnson is the head coach, is the production out of the tight ends. While Johnson was the offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions, he maximized Sam LaPorta and made him one of the most productive tight ends in the league over the past two seasons.
That hasn’t translated through the first four games with the Bears despite having Cole Kmet and a top-10 rookie in Colston Loveland. Kmet and Loveland have just 10 total receptions between them, which is tied for the third-lowest in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers for tight end duos. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins have fewer receptions by their tight ends.
Loveland and Kmet's lack of involvement in the Bears offense
During the Bears' media availability leading up to the Week 3 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, he was asked about the tight ends' role in the offense.
“The fact that the tight ends aren't involved more, that's a reflection of me more than anybody else,” Johnson said. “I'm on that.”
In the 31-14 victory over the Cowboys, Loveland caught one pass for 31 yards and had to leave the game early because of a hip injury. Kmet caught one pass that went for a 10-yard touchdown. So, there were slight glimpses of the tight ends potentially being used.
Against the Raiders, Kmet caught three passes for 46 yards and was trending in the right direction, but the veteran tight end had a bad drop early in the second quarter that impacted the offense’s ability to stay on the field.
The Bears have utilized 12 personnel sets (one running back and two tight ends) for 248 plays, which is 16th in the NFL, according to Sumer Sports.
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Johnson is going to use his tight ends in whatever way he sees fit as this 2025 NFL season continues. But as the Bears come off the bye, Johnson needs to continue to find ways to get Kmet and Loveland involved in the passing game. That will only create more opportunities for Caleb Williams to distribute the football to all of his pass catchers.