One of the biggest questions arising from the Chicago Bears' Week 1 victory over the Tennessee Titans is how will Cole Kmet be utilized in the offense under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
Kmet was an afterthought during Sunday's victory, as new addition, Gerald Everett, got more snaps at tight end than Kmet. However, if the Bears' offense is going to find success this season, the case can be made that Kmet should be more involved in the offense.
Kmet addressed his playing time at Halas Hall on Wednesday while speaking with reporters.
"Look, it is what it is. I'm kind of going to chalk it up to Week 1 and us trying to figure some things out, especially with all the guys we have in here. We got a lot of guys, and I know that we want to be able to use everybody in a certain way. We want to be able to play to their strengths. Kind of just leave it up to that, but I just got to kind of continue to take care of my business. I can't be in the woes is me deal. That's not good for anybody. I can continue coming here and have a good attitude about it and we'll just see where it goes."
That is the perfect response for Kmet and one of the reasons why the team signed the tight end to a four-year contract extension prior to the 2023 season. Kmet has become a leader in the Bears' locker room and his response to his Week 1 playing time is proof of that.
The evolution of the Bears' offense will define a new role for Cole Kmet.
Bears fans may need to redefine how they view Kmet in the team's offense. In recent seasons, Kmet has been forced to play off of the offensive line given the lack of options that the Bears had in the passing game. Ideally, the Bears want Kmet to play off the edge of the offensive line, serving as blocker first before turning up field as a check-down option for the quarterback. It's essentially what the team strived to have last season but Robert Tonyan's ineffectiveness forced Kmet to serve both as the blocking tight end and receiving tight end.
The reaction to Kmet's usage in Week 1 likely stems from the struggles that the offense had. Chances are, once Caleb Williams finds his footing and Waldron's offense settles in, there won't be much uproar regarding the former Notre Dame tight end's playing time.