COLE SUDDENLY TURNS TO HOT
Kmet’s 38-yard catch shows what’s possible when he’s used right
On a second-and-seven play on the Bears’ second possession Monday night against the Rams, tight end Demetrius Harris dropped what would have been a first- down catch, and you could almost hear a collective groan from Bears fans.
The Bears drafted tight end Cole Kmet in the second round and signed Jimmy Graham in free agency, and their first target in a marquee game is Demetrius Harris?
Coach Matt Nagy seemed to be thinking along the same lines. On the first play from scrimmage on the Bears’ next drive — from their own 18 after the Rams scored on Jared Goff’s four-yard touchdown pass to Josh Reynolds for a 7-0 lead — quarterback Nick Foles threw a deep ball for Kmet that the rookie corralled along the left sideline for a 38-yard gain to the Rams’ 44.
“Cole Kmet’s going to start playing more in this offense,” Nagy said after the game. “He’s deserved it. He earns it. He’s a guy that I think I’m really proud of the way he’s playing, and for us, we have to be aware of that, understand that and start using him more.”
Kmet made a nifty move to make the grab and beat tight coverage from safety Taylor Rapp. Foles had been pushed to his right by Rams pressure and threw the ball back to the left side — not usually a recipe for success in the Bears’ offense. Center Cody Whitehair made it possible with a desperation shove on defensive tackle Aaron Donald that gave Foles just enough time to make the difficult throw across his body.
“That was a great job by Nick throwing that ball to him,” Nagy said. “He was covered, but he made a play. You make the throw; he made a play. And that’s a credit to Cole.”
It was the Bears’ longest pass play of the season — until Foles threw a 42-yard pass to Allen Robinson after the Bears fell behind 24-3. It was the longest pass reception by a Bears tight end since Trey Burton’s 47-yard catch against the Buccaneers in 2018.
Kmet’s reception breathed life into the offense. Foles hit him again for a seven-yard catch on the next play, and the Bears eventually reached the Rams’ 24, where Cairo Santos kicked a 42-yard field goal to cut the Rams’ lead to 7-3.
Those back-to-back plays were the last times Kmet was targeted. But just that the Bears let their prized draft pick get downfield to make a play was encouraging for this offense. It was Kmet’s second big play in as many games. He scored his first NFL touchdown last week against the Panthers, on a nine-yard pass from Foles.
Before that, Kmet had made modest impact in his first five NFL games. He had just one catch — a 12-yard gain against the Giants in Week 2 — and just three targets.
To his credit, the Notre Dame and St. Viator product acknowledged anxiety to make an impact but also stayed patient — confident his day would come.
From the start of training camp, he has looked like a player who can contribute. But more and more, it seems like the offense is going to have to mature for that to happen. It was just one play Monday night, but it was an indication he’ll eventually get there.