As would be natural for anyone in that circumstance, tight end Cole Kmet began to question his future as a Chicago Bear when the 10th overall pick in April's draft was used on Colston Loveland. But head coach Ben Johnson called him to curb his concerns.
"From there, you’re all on board on it and kind of understand their vision,” Kmet said in early June, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “You understand that there’s going to be areas where we complement each other, and obviously, just like [in] any position room, there’s going to be areas [where] we compete for things. That’s football, and that’s how it should be. You’re just understanding their vision and their expectations for you as a player. It’s hard to come into work every day when you don’t know your set expectations. I think having those conversations kind of cleared the air a little bit.”
Trade rumors around Kmet have been prevalent, but if Johnson's call to him wasn't enough to squash them the Bears head coach went public with the sentiment during minicamp.
"You could tell instantly when he was around the other offensive players, the rest of the team, there’s an instant respect level,” Johnson said. “He’s done things the right way for a long time. And so it’s been great — not just him learning the offense but helping others in the process, as well.”
There are clearly some plans to feature Kmet and Loveland in two-tight end sets this season. But it's also fair to assume Kmet won't be too far from broader conversation as a trade candidate all the way to the early-November deadline. A potential move can't be totally dismissed if Loveland emerges quickly.
A new trade proposal sends Cole Kmet out of Chicago before training camp
On his list of 10 realistic pre-training camp trades, Cory Woodruff of USA Today's "For The Win" hit the low-hanging fruit of Kmet as someone who could be moved.
The core proposal sends Kmet and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2026 fourth-round pick, but Woodruff offered a potential addition to it.
"Kmet being traded to the Chargers just feels right. With the Bears taking Michigan tight end Colston Loveland in the first round, Chicago might be willing to move Kmet to a team needing a starting tight end. Los Angeles would give Kmet an instant upgrade at the position, and he feels like an instant fit in Greg Roman's offense. The Chargers could send tight end Will Dissly back to Chicago to give the team a veteran second fiddle to Loveland. Kmet could return to top tight end status in L.A., and the Bears could give Loveland starting reps."
Trading Kmet for a fourth-round pick might be suitable, such as the Bears would entertain the move. Attaching a sixth-round pick feels unnecessary though, since Kmet is the proven asset in the deal and the Chargers would likely be the ones making the call. The theoretical addition of Dissly to the trade makes little sense, since the Bears already have someone similar on the depth chart in Durham Smythe.
Read more: Bears insider sees easy path for second-year defender to breakout in 2025
Assuming Loveland is fully healthy after his recovery from shoulder surgery kept him out of OTAs, training camp will be the time for the Bears to see how he and Kmet can fit together in the offense. Trading Kmet at any point in the coming months has become very unlikely. Doing it before training camp would defy all kinds of logic, and everything that has been said internally up to now.