Chicago Bears: Another key player goes down with an injury

The Chicago Bears have been bitten by the injury bug during this year’s training camp. With names like Darnell Wright, Teven Jenkins, Yannick Ngakoue, Chase Claypool, and DeMarcus Walker all still missing practice, among several others, it is getting to be a concern as Week 1 looms closer and closer.

Unfortunately, NBC Sports Chicago reported today that Cole Kmet, the newly extended starting tight end, was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury.

The details did not specify what the exact injury was, but the fact that a cart was needed is quite concerning. It was reported that Kmet was able to walk himself to the cart before being taken off the practice field, but this does not sound like something that can be looked over.

The last two weeks have been filled with mainly negative reports coming from camp, primarily due to the pile of injuries that have created quite the heap. Adding Kmet’s name to a list that features so many key starters feels dooming to a team that wants to get out of the gates fast with a big game against the Packers to open the season.

The injury bug bites the Chicago Bears once again.

It is yet to be seen how serious this injury is, but it is safe to say that Cole Kmet is going to be a big part of the offense this year. Now in his fourth season, Kmet sort of broke out last year and found a nice connection with Justin Fields, especially if you consider his very slow start to the year. The Bears need Kmet as a two-way tight end, with him being a quality receiver and improved blocker at the position. Having a guy like him healthy is important, especially if Chase Claypool or Darnell Mooney are not ready at the start of the season.

The Bears have solid depth at the position with newly signed names including Robert Tonyan and Mercedes Lewis filling out the tight end room. Still, Kmet is clearly a favorite in this offense, evidenced by his sizeable four-year, $50 million extension that he signed last month.

The injury list grows longer as more bad news comes out of Halas Hall.

Hopefully, things start to turn around soon and some guys start ramping up their activity, as we have recently seen with Tremaine Edmunds and DeMarcus Walker. Still, the Chicago Bears continue to be decimated by injuries this training camp, which might be one of the main reasons coach Matt Eberflus has been so hesitant to give the starters any run in the preseason games. With one left, look to see who starts to practice this week or returns to camp and who continues to sit out.