Coming off an encouraging rookie season, Bears tight end Cole Kmet wants to get better. Which is exactly why he jumped at the opportunity to learn from some of the best tight ends in the game.
Last month, Kmet was among a handful of tight ends around the NFL who participated in Tight End University, a summit organized by the likes of Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, San Francisco’s George Kittle and former Bear Greg Olsen.
“Being able to feed off one another was great,” Kmet told reporters Thursday. “I got a lot out of it and definitely felt like I belonged there, for sure. …
“For me, watching receivers is nice, but I can’t do the stuff that Darnell Mooney does — I’m not that fast. So being able to go get guys like [the Dolphins’] Mike Gesicki and [the Patriots’] Hunter Henry and Travis and George and Greg and learn from those guys, that’s very beneficial for me.”
Earlier this offseason, Matt Nagy had Kmet going over the routes of other tight ends in the league, including Kelce, who Nagy coached during his time as Chiefs offensive coordinator.
It’s clear Nagy envisions Kmet becoming his Kelce in this offense, so it helped that Kmet got to learn from him during the summit. The biggest thing that Kmet took away from Kelce was do whatever it takes to get to the spot where you need to be to catch the ball.
“The big thing with Travis is don’t run the line in the book, and that’s a big deal with him,” Kmet said. “Stay on the quarterback’s timing and be where you have to be, but be creative with your routes just as long as you’re on that quarterback’s timing and you get in the right spot and you’re open, I mean, no one’s going to say anything.”
The Bears plan to get Kmet involved a lot more on offense this year, especially in the passing game. And when you look at his production beginning in December through the end of the season — 20 catches on 30 targets for 149 yards and one touchdown — there’s plenty of potential.
Given recent history suggests a big jump happens for tight ends in their second season, there’s reason to believe Kmet will take the next step in his development, especially with a better understanding of the offense and as Nagy gets him even more involved in Year 2.
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