3 underrated values on Chicago Bears roster

1. Cole Kmet has more to give the Chicago Bears

Cole Kmet is not being talked about at all this offseason. That is easy to have happen when there were so many changes to the offense, and he was the one constant. They even added a known tight end in Robert Tonyan that shifted attention in the room away from him. Still, Cole Kmet has a lot to bring and could be underrated.

First, he has gotten better in every season. That was expected when the Chicago Bears drafted him. He entered the NFL at age 20 and was a baseball player at Notre Dame, so he was not even focusing on football full time.

Entering the NFL young and raw increased his upside, but fans lacked patience. Still, right now, he is 24 years old, and he will turn 25 this season. Most tight ends do not even get real playing time in the NFL until they hit 25 years old. When you look at his production through the prism of his age, he is one of the more productive tight ends in recent history.

Fans think that for his fourth season, he is a bit behind, but a lot of tight ends are 22 when they enter the NFL, so they are 26 or 27 by this stage of their careers. Kmet still has a lot more playing time ahead of him.

Beyond finally having some touchdown catches, Kmet is improving every season as a blocker. The Chicago Bears will obviously remain run-heavy this year, and Kmet will be a key piece to this.

Do not be surprised if the Chicago Bears extend Kmet and even pay a bit more than expected. If they are paying for what he can be, they could be expecting a lot more, because that is on the table for Kmet.