Despite being embroiled in trade speculation all offseason, veteran tight end Cole Kmet started the season with the Chicago Bears. For many fans, the arrival of rookie TE Colston Loveland signalled the end of the Kmet era in Chicago, but that hasn't been the case so far, with the veteran pass-catcher playing a larger offensive role than Loveland through the first seven weeks of the season.
But after back-to-back duds where he put up two catches for 16 yards in two games since the bye, Kmet is back to being a part of the trade rumors. Much to his delight, though, the 26-year-old playmaker has an excellent opportunity to turn his season around and stay in Chicago past the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
Cole Kmet Must Capitalize on Bears' Upcoming Schedule
The Bears play the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals in their next two games. Not only are they relatively easy matchups for Chicago due to injuries to their star quarterbacks, but they are also particularly favorable to Kmet.
The Ravens allow 67 yards per game to tight ends, the sixth-highest mark in the NFL, per Pro Football Reference data. Baltimore is also dealing with injuries to Roquan Smith and Chidobe Awuzie, which could hurt their defensive backfield.
Things get even easier the week after against the Bengals. Tight ends have been finding a gold mine in the Bengals' defense all season long, putting up more yards (536) and scoring more touchdowns (9) than they have against any other team in the league. If Kmet can't find pay dirt against that defense, he may be a lost cause.
The only thing standing between Kmet and a potential breakout stretch is the back injury he has been dealing with. Against the Saints, he left the game in the third quarter and didn't return. Head coach Ben Johnson didn't provide much detail about his status for the week and said that we would find out more about his availability on Wednesday.
The next two weeks are shaping up to be a crucial stretch for Kmet. He either suits up and delivers strong performances to save his job and cement his role as the TE1 for this team, or he misses the next two games and loses his job to Loveland for the second half of the season. There is also a third possibility: Kmet is healthy but fails to make an impact against poor defenses. That scenario could end with him getting traded at the deadline.
Which scenario is the best one for the Bears is unclear, but the fans will certainly be watching it pretty closely.