Earlier this offseason, the Chicago Bears made the shocking decision to draft rookie tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10th overall, officially the start of the Ben Johnson era.
Loveland, who was viewed as one of the top tight ends in the class, wasn’t expected to go to Chicago, given that the Bears already have Cole Kmet. Kmet just signed a four-year, $50 million extension a couple of summers ago and has been a solid passing catching threat in Chicago.
However, Johnson likely wants a more dynamic pass catcher at tight end, especially what he did in Detroit with Sam LaPorta and Loveland offers that, which is not good news for Kmet.
Therefore, one could argue that this year’s training camp is important for the veteran tight end to establish he’s still the guy in Chicago. Earlier this week, Kmet left Tuesday’s session early, but was back practicing on Thursday morning, per Brad Briggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Good news on the health front. TE Cole Kmet is practicing this morning after leaving Tuesday’s session early. Not surprising as he’s never missed a regular-season game in his career.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 7, 2025
Cole Kmet Returns to Practice on Thursday After Exit Earlier This Week
As you can imagine, Bears fans were excited to hear that Kmet is back on the practice field because anytime a player leaves early in camp, the nerves start kicking in, as you wonder if a guy is hurt and will miss any time.
However, to Kmet’s credit, he’s been an ironman over his early NFL career. The 26-year-old has played in 84 regular-season games, dating back to his rookie season in 2020.
Last year, the veteran tight end saw his production drop off significantly, as Chicago bolstered its WR core, with the drafting of Rome Odunze and free-agent signing of Keenan Allen.
Kmet racked up 47 receptions (55 targets) for 474 yards and four touchdowns across 17 games, which was a far cry from what he did in 2023 – 73 receptions (90 targets) for 719 yards and six touchdowns.
That said, when the Bears hired Johnson, it seemed as if the veteran could be in store for a huge year, but then Chicago took Loveland, which complicates matters. However, the rookie tight end still has to earn it and show that he can outplay Kmet.
We also know Kmet won’t give up his starting spot easily, making this one of the more intriguing battles to watch over the coming weeks.