The Chicago Bears made a surprising decision, opting to keep only five receivers on the first version of their 53-man roster. A large piece of this was due to the confidence in the top options, as well as the reason for an incredible level of belief in the tight end position. Colston Loveland had his best moments on the biggest stage and left legitimate hope that the Bears could soon have the league's best tight end.
Lost in this understandable excitement as well as the ceiling of the receiver depth chart is the future of Cole Kmet. Chicago ignored trade suggestions after a down season from Kmet and opted to bring the veteran back for his second season in Ben Johnson's offense. This is despite the regression in the 2025 season and questions as to whether or not there were enough targets to go around with so many talented playmakers.
Opting to begin the season with five receivers is a clear endorsement of Kmet and signals a level of belief that the pass catcher can fill a larger role. Last season, the tight end finished with 347 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. While the effort remained the same, there was reason to wonder if Caleb Williams had the needed level of chemistry with the veteran.
Fast forward to the start of the 2026 season, and Chicago clearly has an incredible level of belief that Kmet can put up more consistent numbers in the current offense. Opting not to carry more receiver depth as well as the youth at the position, is going to require Kmet to play a larger role and get on the same page with Williams.
Bears Final Roster Decisions Setting up Cole Kmet for Breakout 2026 Season
If the Bears can get the best version of Kmet moving forward, there is truly a dangerous combination of weapons capable of pushing Chicago on a Super Bowl run. Johnson's offense has all the needed pieces in place, and Kmet is going as an underrated piece of this. Not only would the Bears have carried more receiver depth with less faith in Kmet, but there is reason to believe a trade would've been found in the offseason.
Tight end isn't an incredibly deep position around the league, with the current Bear having at least ten potential landing spots where he would be a starting option. Instead, Chicago is embracing the belief that last season can be improved upon and Kmet can offer a bit more consistency to help support the new-look offense.
For Kmet, the veteran has said all the right things in the offseason and made it clear he valued winning over putting up eye-popping numbers. While eye-popping numbers remain unlikely, fans should be expecting a more consistent season from Kmet.
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