One thing Shane Waldron did right for the Chicago Bears in Week 2

One of the weirdest things that Shane Waldron did in his debut with the Chicago Bears was playing Gerald Everett over Cole Kmet. We knew this was going to be a split but did not think that Everett would be the featured tight end over Kmet. 

This did not make sense because, historically, Kmet has not only been the better blocker but also a higher-upside pass catcher. While Shane Waldron still has plenty to sort out, one thing that he did adjust from one week to the next was playing Kmet more. 

Cole Kmet's playing time normalized in Week 2.

After playing just 48% of the offensive snaps in week one, Kmet played 77% in week two. Everett dropped from 61% to 36%. It was not an electric night, but Kmet did catch four passes for 27 yards. His 0.96 yards per route run was better than D’Andre Swift, DeAndre Carter and Rome Odunze. It was certainly better than Everett as well. After finishing with -1 yard in his first game, Everett had one yard in week two, bringing his season total to zero on four targets. 

You could even make the case that Everett would not have played this much had Khari Blasingame been healthy. Everett took five snaps from the backfield as a fullback, and without those snaps, Kmet would essentially have ¾ of the workload while the final ¼ was left for Everett. 

Perhaps this is a reason to buy Waldron some time. It was an easy decision to make and it should not have had to happen in the first place, but Waldron showed an ability to adjust week-to-week. He has a rookie quarterback, and a new offensive line, and this is a new team for him. He made an adjustment here, and the hope is that he will continue to grow as the year goes on.