Using the tight end as a weapon in the passing game was a staple of coach Ben Johnson’s offense when he was the Lions’ offensive coordinator, but that has yet to show up in the Bears’ attack.
Cole Kmet and rookie Colston Loveland have gotten a combined 22 targets through four games, and Kmet, who was in the top 10 at his position statistically in 2023, has only seven catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
As someone who has been with the Bears for six play-callers in six seasons, Kmet has had no choice but to learn patience, and he’s again holding out hope for things to click.
“It’ll naturally happen as the offense continues to grow and we become more on schedule and not being in second-and-longs,” Kmet said. “When you can get into second-and-four after a good run and do some play-action, that’s where you can see some of the tight-end stuff come to life.”
Kmet had only seven targets in the first three games but thought he played very well overall. He wasn’t happy with his performance as a receiver or blocker against the Raiders, but he had his most productive game with three catches for 46 yards.
Caleb Williams targeted Kmet nine times in that game but a few were inaccurate or thrown into tight coverage, and Kmet dropped one open over the middle in the red zone.
Williams’ learning curve
Williams is still only four games into working with a new coach and offensive play-caller in Johnson, and while there seemed to be progress in that partnership the last two games, there’s still a long way to go.
Quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett said Friday that he has seen Williams’ comfort in the offense improve, and “that breeds confidence.” The goal, though, is to move from the coaching staff teaching Williams the offense to him helping to drive it.
“It’s about getting to the point where he can directly teach it,’’ Barrett said. ‘‘That’s true ownership, where you can directly teach it to somebody else, and they have a full understanding. He’s still working at it. It’s going to be a constant thing to continue to improve on that, but he’s doing a great job.”
Jarrett still down
It’s hard to picture the Bears’ brutally bad run defense getting better without veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett on the field, and he didn’t practice Friday.
Jarrett hurt his knee in the season opener and played through it for two games but missed the Raiders game. The Bears, who have allowed a league-high 6.1 yards per rush, allowed 7.7 in Las Vegas.
Jarrett, 32 and in his 11th season, has practiced in full only once since Sept. 6.
Santos improving
Even the mere whiff of a potential kicker issue is troubling for the Bears, but Cairo Santos practiced in full and appears to be on track to play Monday against Washington.
Santos said this week he felt good and had “been progressing” but hedged on his availability by adding, “We’ve got a great backup plan if I’m not able to go,” in reference to practice-squad kicker Jake Moody.
Notes
The Commanders are third in the league with 15 sacks but have gotten pressure on the opposing quarterback only 18.8% of the time, which ranks 19th. The Bears are basically the opposite, sitting last in sacks (five) and 12th in pressure (20.3%).
† The Bears held a “tryout” for punter Matthew Hayball, formerly of the Saints, though most likely it was to help their special teams prepare for Commanders Pro Bowl punter Tress Way. Hayball and Way are left-footed.
† Former Bears punter Pat O’Donnell, who was with the team from 2014 through 2021, signed with the Cardinals.