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The Chicago Bears signed rookie Cole Kmet, a tight end out of Notre Dame selected by the NFC North franchise in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft (43rd overall), per The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain.
I’m told Bears TE Cole Kmet has signed his rookie contract.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) July 21, 2020
Kmet, 21, spent three seasons with the Fighting Irish, with his best year coming in 2019, when he amassed 43 catches for 515 receiving yards, scoring six touchdowns in 10 games.
A Bears fan growing up—he already got into Chicagoans' good side with an anecdote about crying with the Bears lost Super Bowl XLI—Kmet was praised by his former coach at Notre Dame, Brian Kelly, who compared the tight end to other elite NFL players.
“I’ve had a number of tight ends that are doing exceedingly well and have been All-Pros in the NFL,” Kelly recently told reporters, via USA TODAY Sports. “Cole Kmet will be in line with all of those guys.”
“What they’re getting is an athletic tight end that is going to impact their offense immediately,” Kelly added of Kmet. “He’s smart. He’s got the capabilities to get better and better as he continues to develop…Having a lot of tight ends on your roster is one thing. Having Cole Kmet, that’s another.”
The Bears are seeking answers to their offensive woes that plagued them during the 2019 campaign—a year removed from then-rising star Mitchell Trubisky under center. This past offseason saw Chicago trade for veteran and Super Bowl champion quarterback Nick Foles, possibly in a coup d'etat for the starting job.
Kmet joins Tulane wide receiver Darnell Mooney as the pair of pass-catchers the Bears drafted in April (also joining them are two offensive guards, Arlington Hambright and Lachavious Simmons). Most prominently, Kmet will be playing behind five-time Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham, signed by the Bears in March.
