When the Bears selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland in the first round of the 2025 draft, some saw it as a sign Cole Kmet's days in Chicago were numbered.
Others believed it to be the beginning of a beautiful tandem under the direction of coach Ben Johnson. But what most overlooked was the idea of how Loveland's addition might be received by Kmet, a talented tight end who has had to overcome plenty of adversity (including instability at quarterback) during his time in Chicago.
It seems he wasn't exactly pleased with the decision, but understands it better now.
"I think at first, you're taken aback a little bit," Kmet said, per team transcript. "But Ben (Johnson) was awesome about it in terms of calling me right away explaining the decision. From there you're just all on board and you understand their vision. You understand that there's going to be areas where we complement each other, then there's obviously -- just like an any position room -- there's going to be areas where we compete for things.
"That's football and that's how it should be. I'm excited about it. I'm excited to not only push him but then for him to push me. We're going to make each other better. I think the goal with it is to become the best 12 (personnel) tandem in the league and see where we can take it from there."
Johnson has evidence to back such a decision. In Detroit, his offense ran the third-most plays out of 12 personnel in the entire NFL (361 total plays), posted a success rate of 47.9 percent, averaged a gain of 6.2 yards per play and logged 59 explosive plays in 2024. The Lions led the NFL in touchdowns scored (29) out of 12 personnel, providing Johnson's new employers with proof it can work.
General manager Ryan Poles followed suit by selecting Loveland, pairing him with a skilled playmaker in Kmet. Just don't expect Kmet to lead Loveland down a path of expertise at the position -- at least not yet.
"I don't know if I've been asked to like mentor per se. I've still got things that I've got to work on and I've got to achieve," Kmet explained. "When I was a rookie, we had (former NFL TE) Jimmy (Graham) here and Jimmy was like 32 or 33 at the time. I don't know if I should say this publicly -- he probably wouldn't have said it then -- but he was probably on the back end of his career at that point. I don't necessarily feel like I'm at that stage in my career yet. So, a little different in that regard.
"That being said, getting to know Colston has been great so far and I want to give him as much knowledge as I can. Give him all the things that I've learned and get him up to pace as soon and as quickly as possible so that he can go out there and be the best football player that he can be this year and going forward. I'm excited about that and it's been awesome to get to know him here these past few weeks since he's been drafted. I think he's going to fit just fine in our room and in the offense as well."
If everything goes according to plan, the Bears' offense will prove to be as explosive as the Lions' was at its best, at least eventually. That will require players like Kmet to buy in completely.
Judging by his responses, it seems Kmet has already been convinced and is ready to get to work.
"Just reassuring me of where I stood in their eyes and things like that," Kmet said when asked of Johnson's message to him after the draft. "We talked at length more about it later and I'll keep those things private. I felt good leaving the conversation and I think whenever you meet somebody for the first time -- still getting to know Ben, I don't know where he stands on me and quite frankly, I don't know where I stand with him at that point because you're just meeting somebody. I think those are healthy conversations to have.
"You understand their vision and their expectations for you as a player. Because it's hard to come into work every day when you don't know your set expectations. I think having those conversations kind of cleared the air a little bit."
