The annual stretch for experts and fans alike to construct their list of “sleepers” for the upcoming football season has come. In case you are unfamiliar with the term, sleepers are players that the general public are underrating, or “sleeping on”. Since many of the Chicago Bears players are young and still improving, many of them could be candidates for sleepers. However, we will be diving in depth on one sleeper in particular: Tight End Cole Kmet.The Bears’ most recent preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks showed positive signs for both Kmet and his chemistry with QB Justin Fields. On his only drive of the game, Kmet garnered two catches to finish with 31 yards, although one of the completions was a screen pass. However, the other grab was a beautiful rollout by Fields along with a great route by Kmet. This was encouraging to see, as many football fans criticize the lack of weapons for Fields.Established as a physical blocker, Kmet has made big improvements since entering the league two seasons ago. As a rookie, Kmet mostly inherited a blocking role as the Bears had TE Jimmy Graham as a pass catcher on the roster. Despite having 0 touchdowns last season, Kmet doubled his receptions from his rookie season alongside nearly tripling his yardage output. These are reassuring signs that Kmet is growing as a route runner and pass catcher.Not only have Fields and Kmet grown from last season, but other circumstances surrounding them have changed too. Let’s address the elephant in the room: the staff changes. With the Bears’ complete restart in the front office, new head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy look to establish more efficient play calling. In the seasons Kmet has been on the team, head coach Matt Nagy was notorious for his poor play calling, especially in the red zone. No need to beat a dead horse, but there is a lot of optimism for a new start to the offense.In addition to the changes in the front office, WR Allen Robinson has departed as well. Talented yet possibly misused, Robinson racked up 140 receptions for 1,160 yards in the two years he played next to Kmet. With the quarterback situation firmly in Fields’ grasp, the extra volume has to go somewhere. While the Bears have certainly added depth at the receiver position to make up for Robinson, Kmet is a more familiar target for Fields that is constantly on the field.While there is no shortage of sleepers, Kmet is one of the safest bets you can have: a young player with little competition playing alongside a talented quarterback. Barring unforeseen injuries or extreme circumstances, Kmet is in line for another step in his blooming career.
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[…] a look at his production last year to see how worthy he is of an extension. Coming into the season, I wrote an article about how expectations for the young talent were fairly high paired with the rise of quarterback […]
[…] a look at his production last year to see how worthy he is of an extension. Coming into the season, I wrote an article about how expectations for the young talent were fairly high paired with the rise of quarterback […]