The Chicago Bears are rolling, winning six of the last seven games. Last week's win over the New York Giants, along with the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Bears are second in the NFC North.
Tight end Cole Kmet has seen rookie tight end Colston Loveland get more playing time, and that has impacted Kmet's production in the passing attack. Yet, there are other ways that Kmet is making his presence felt, and that's with his blocking.
Cole Kmet Has Stepped Up as a Blocker for Bears
Against the Giants, Kmet played in 45 offensive snaps and had his best outing as a blocker. According to Pro Football Focus, Kmet posted a season-high 80.7 run-blocking grade and a 76.9 pass-blocking grade.
The Bears were able to finish with 171 rushing yards, and it seemed that Kmet did a solid job creating holes on the ground. A prime example of that was when Kmet was seen running upfield to block safety Tyler Nubin en route to Caleb Williams rushing for a 17-yard touchdown with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter that gave the Bears the lead.
Earlier in the game, Kmet lined up at fullback and completely put Giants defensive back Dru Phillips on his backside, opening a gaping hole for Kyle Monangai's 8-yard touchdown run.
Although he saw his production go down as a receiver, he hasn't taken his role as a blocker seriously. And that's certainly a way to get love from the coaching staff. Every coach in the NFL will fawn over any player who plays with an edge as a run blocker and puts opposing defenders on their backside.
Since the Bears selected Loveland with the 10th overall pick, he has earned more trust from his coaches and Williams. The Michigan product is third on the team in receiving yards (289) with 21 catches and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Kmet has eight catches (11 targets) for 147 receiving yards and one score. He's on the books for $11.6 million next season, which is hefty for a TE2, but if he continues to be a high-level blocker like this while providing them an athletic TE2, that's a win for Chicago and makes it easier for stomach that cap hit.
The remainder of the season will be big in terms of whether Kmet can continue this positive play as a blocker, but based on what he has put on tape, the arrow is certainly trending up.