Fifteen snaps. That’s all Chicago Bears rookie tight end Cole Kmet played in Week 4’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Kmet hasn’t seen the field much through four games this season. He’s played just 83 of the Bears’ 274 snaps on offense, per Pro Football Focus, and has yet to make any notable impact as a receiver.
Lauded as a well-rounded player with Rob Gronkowski upside, Bears fans are still waiting for their second-round pick — and the team’s first pick of the 2020 NFL draft — to emerge.
“I would say to start off, that 15 is not enough,” Matt Nagy told reporters on Tuesday. “He needs to be out there more, No. 1. So we’re aware of that. He is doing a really good job at taking in this offense, which we knew from the get-go that he was gonna do. So now that he knows the tempo of the games, the adjustments — things that go on within the game, I feel like he’s ready.”
The Bears made a heavy investment in the tight end position this offseason. Veteran Jimmy Graham was signed to a surprising two-year, $16 million deal in free agency in addition and Demetrius Harris was added to round-out the position group. But it’s Kmet who represents the future of the position in Chicago.
At least, that’s what the Bears are counting on.
“He’s gonna get more opportunities as we go,” Nagy said. “He’s earned that right. That’ll be our job as coaches, to make sure it’s more than 15.”