‘It is what it is:’ Cole Kmet not dwelling on surprising lack of playing time vs. Titans

‘It is what it is:’ Cole Kmet not dwelling on surprising lack of playing time vs. Titans originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Cole Kmet isn’t used to watching from the sidelines. The Bears star tight end has rarely left the field when healthy and should be a vital piece of a 2024 offense with high expectations with quarterback Caleb Williams and a ton of weapons.

But Kmet spent 52 percent of the plays during the Bears’ Week 1 win over the Tennessee Titans on the sideline. Kmet played just 27 of the Bears’ 56 offensive snaps in Week 1 as offensive coordinator Shane Waldron opted to deploy new tight end Gerald Everett as his tight end in 11 personnel (one back, one tight end, three receivers).

The Bears gave Kmet a four-year, $50 million extension last offseason, and he has been tabbed as a foundational piece of the current rebuild. Along with wide receivers DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze, Kmet should be a focal point of a 2024 Bears passing attack with explosive potential.

But on Sunday, he mainly watched from the sidelines as the Bears’ offense spun its wheels and relied on the defense to bail them out.

“Obviously, I wasn’t thrilled about it,” Kmet said Wednesday at Halas Hall about his lack of playing time. “But it’s not something that I can control, and I’m not in control of. The thing I can control is how I operate while I’m out there and how I execute and what I put on film with the snaps that I do get.

“Look, it is what it is. I’m kind of going to chalk it up to Week 1 and us trying to figure some things out, especially with all the guys we have in here. We got a lot of guys, and I know that we want to be able to use everybody in a certain way. We want to be able to play to their strengths. Kind of just leave it up to that, but I just got to kind of continue to take care of my business. I can’t be in the woes is me deal. That’s not good for anybody. I can continue coming here and have a good attitude about it and we’ll just…

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Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2024-09-11 21:00:22

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