First-year head coach Ben Johnson acted quickly after the Chicago Bears selected tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick.
Not long after the Bears drafted another weapon for quarterback Caleb Williams, Johnson made sure to contact Cole Kmet. With a top-10 pick invested in a tight end, it was natural for Kmet to have questions about the move.
“Yeah, I think at first, you’re taken aback a little bit,” Kmet said on Tuesday following Day 1 of mandatory minicamp. “But I mean, Ben was awesome about it in terms of calling me right away and kind of explaining the decision. You know, from there, you’re all on board with it and kind of understand their vision. You understand that there’s going to be areas where we complement each other, and there’s obviously, just like any position, room – there's going to be areas where we compete for things. That’s football, and that’s how it should be. So, I'm excited about it, to not only push him and for him to push me, and we’re going to make each other better. I think the goal with it is to become the best 12 (personnel) tandem in the league and see where we can take it from there.”
Cole Kmet and Ben Johnson are still in the "getting to know you" stage
Kmet revealed some of the details he had in his initial conversation with Johnson, reassuring the veteran tight end where he stood in the new coaching staff's eyes. The two would go on to have another lengthy conversation on the matter.
“But I felt good about leaving the conversation, and I know whenever you meet somebody for the first time, I’m still getting to know Ben,” Kmet said. “I don’t know where he stands on me, and quite frankly, I don’t know where I stand on him, because at that point you’re just meeting somebody. I think those are healthy conversations to have. 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.”
With a clear mind about his status with the team, Kmet can focus on learning the details and intricacies of Johnson's offense. And speaking of the details, that is something this coaching staff doesn't overlook, and that goes for every part of the offense.
“I mean, you name it, whether it’s Caleb, cadence, or how he says a play in the huddle or with us, alignments and techniques and making the right calls, it’s every day and it’s relentless,” Kmet said. “He’s definitely thrown a lot at us in this short time here in the spring, but I think he wants to challenge us as a group to see what we can handle. I think we’ve done a pretty good job so far. There’s definitely been some ups and downs throughout the way, but I think that’s kind of the method to the madness so far.”
It's that attention to the small areas of the game that could help Kmet bounce back from a down 2024 season that featured just 47 receptions for 414 yards and four touchdowns. The previous year, Kmet set career highs in receptions (73) and yards (719) and had six touchdowns.
Under Johnson, Detroit's Sam LaPorta has been one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL the past two seasons. The hope is that Johnson can help unlock Kmet, but the Bears’ tight end understands that it will take more than just Johnson's presence to make that happen.
“I think with Ben, and I think it's been evident, like you gotta go out and earn it, which I can respect and I can totally understand, like things aren't just gonna — you’re not gonna understand how to make things work, just ‘cause, you know, like you gotta show it on the field and I think that's what's been cool about this process so far,” Kmet said. “So, definitely looking forward to finishing up these last few days, putting good stuff on tape going into the break, and then, in camp, it's, you know, it's big go time when the pads come on and roles really declare themselves. So I'm looking forward to those competitions ahead, and I know guys on the rest of the roster as well are excited about that.”