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          With 5 TDs in last 3 games, Bears TE Cole Kmet emerging as red zone threat

          Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet has caught four red-zone touchdowns over his past three games. Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images
          • Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff WriterNov 16, 2022, 06:00 AM ET
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              Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.

          CHICAGO – Cole Kmet knew the moment he planted his foot on his opponent’s 35-yard line at Soldier Field, his path to the end zone would be clear.

          The play that resulted in Kmet’s 50-yard score against the Detroit Lions in Week 10 was one he and Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields ran several times after practice last week. But something didn’t click with their execution.

          “I run one, wind kind of takes it,” Kmet recalled. “I run two, I didn’t really run it right. I run three and wind takes off again. I run another one and it’s like ‘Alright, I can’t be doing all these routes,’ so we scratched and we’re like, ‘We’ll get the one in the game.’”

          With 2:53 to play in the third quarter of Chicago’s 31-30 loss, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy put his faith in Fields and Kmet to get it right. If Kmet won his route off cornerback Mike Hughes and safety Kerby Joseph, he would be home free. Instead of following Kmet, the two Lions defensive backs diverted to cover fellow Bears tight end Ryan Griffin’s deep crossing route.

          Fields launched a ball off a bootleg that sailed into Kmet’s grasp. The tight end ran wide open for a touchdown, his fifth in Chicago’s last three games.

          Kmet’s early season lull appears to be in his rearview mirror. Before his first touchdown of 2022 against Dallas in Week 8, the Bears tight end had gone 28 straight games without a receiving touchdown. Kmet now seems to be developing into Fields’ No. 1 option.

          The 2020 second-round pick out of Notre Dame was expected to end his scoring drought far sooner than Week 8. Kmet was elevated to TE1 with the departure of Jimmy Graham after the 2021 season. Kmet had put in countless hours perfecting his connection with Fields throughout the offseason, but nothing came to fruition.

          As the Bears’ passing offense – which averages a league-low 128.1 yards per game – worked through its early season struggles, Kmet’s targets dwindled. Chicago deploys 12 personnel (two wide receivers, two tight ends, one running back) the second-most of any offensive grouping, which calls upon Kmet to occupy a role that has him blocking for the most dominant rushing attack in the NFL. The Bears have now rushed for at least 200 yards in five straight games, which is tied for the third-longest streak in the Super Bowl era.

          Kmet has been on the field for 92.9% of offensive snaps, the most by any skill player for Chicago. As the offense has expanded its capabilities with Fields’ growth over the last four weeks, Kmet’s opportunities have increased.

          In addition to his 50-yard TD against Detroit, Kmet also caught a 6-yard touchdown earlier in the third quarter.

          He was expected to be a red zone weapon this season, and with three of his five touchdowns coming inside the 10-yard line, he’s beginning to fill that role.

          “Cole is a weapon for sure,” Fields said after the Miami game in Week 9. “Every time he gets the ball, he runs hard. He puts his pads down and tries to run through guys... We love getting him the ball.”

          From a fantasy perspective, Kmet’s uptick in usage these last three weeks has led to an output many expected to have seen earlier in the season. Kmet led all tight ends with 23.4 fantasy points in Week 10, the first Bears player to lead the position since Graham did so in Week 3 of 2020.

          The accolades didn’t stop there. After recording a pair of touchdown catches in both the Miami and Detroit games, Kmet joined Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase as the only players this season with two receiving TDs in back-to-back games, according to ESPN Stats and Information.

          Kmet also is the first Bears player with two receiving touchdowns in back-to-back games since receiver/halfback Johnny Morris – who is the franchise’s all-time leading receiver (5,059 yards) – reached that feat in 1964.

          “Being able to have a guy like Justin, like you don’t know (if he’s going to) run or pass, that’s a big deal for me,” Kmet said. “All the blocking I do in-line and being able to release off of that and do some things off of the runs we have has really helped me out a lot, too. And then you just get good matchups against guys. I’m 6-6 going up against a DB body. That’s usually going to turn out pretty well, I think.”