Ben Johnson Confirms Bears TE Cole Kmet Out For Season With Knee Injury

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson confirmed during his Friday afternoon media availability with reporters that tight end Cole Kmet will be placed on injured reserve later today with a "serious knee injury," ending his 2026 season. 

In the Bears' 30-24 win over the New England Patriots at Soldier Field, Kmet caught an 8-yard pass from quarterback Caleb Williams with 5:46 left in the fourth quarter. The veteran tight end ran towards the right sideline as two Patriots defenders closed in on him. Kmet grabbed his right knee and laid on the Soldier Field grass as he waited for the cart to take him to the locker room. 

His teammates came to show their support and so did former Bears safety Kevin Byard III. Before he reached the tunnel, Kmet raised his left arm in the air.

Johnson provided a thoughtful response on Friday afternoon when asked about Kmet and what he means to this team.

“He's one of my favorites for a number of reasons but I still remember him at the combine coming out and how much I loved him in that slight interaction that we had there. To be able to be in the same building with him for the last year and a half, I've got so much respect for the player that he is but also for the person; the leader. He's everything we want to be about here. He's one of the glue guys. He's a guy that I can count on whether it's a messaging standpoint or get to the pulse of the team.

He's going to be sorely missed. He's Chicago. He's been here his whole life and he's a big part of our heartbeat. It stinks. It does. I hate it for him. I hate it for his teammates as well and yet the train keeps rolling on. Someone else has to step up and fortunately we talked about this last week; our practice squad, the way they've been developing, the way they've been working. I think we've got some good options here on this roster. We're going to miss him.”

Kmet played 329 offensive snaps, finishing with 10 receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown. Although those numbers don't necessarily pop, Kmet was heavily involved in Chicago's offense, especially as a blocker in the run and pass game. 

Chicago drafted Kmet with the 43rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He's played 107 career games over seven seasons, missing just one because of injury. 

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams shared how much Kmet has meant to him since he joined the Bears' organization.

"Obviously getting carted off is never good," Williams said. "You're at least going to miss some time. I don't have the words to describe what Cole is to me, what Cole is to this team, this organization. He's the longest tenured bear, I believe. And so, he's been through it. And it's challenging. He's tough. And I'll be with him. I'll be right there with him through every step of whatever the injury is. Cole's been there for me every step of the way. Through the first year, the second year and now through this year. So, I can only do the same for him.”

As Johnson mentioned, "the train keeps rolling" and the Bears will need rookie Sam Roush and potentially practice squad candidates like Stephen Carlson among others to step up with Kmet done for the season. 

“I'll start with Sam," Johnson said. "We've been very pleased with the improvement that he's made over these first seven weeks. There's a high likelihood that his rep count is going to go up as a result of what's going on here. We'll be able to see the player that we drafted and had high hopes when we took him. Very smart player. He had some rookie hiccups early in the season, like everybody does, and yet he learns. He doesn't make the same mistake twice. I'm confident in what he's going to be able to do for us here in the back half of the season. Hayden Large would certainly be an option. He's still on IR for us, so we'll see where he's at health wise, but I feel strongly in (TE Stephen) Steve Carlson and (TE Qadir Ismail) Q on the practice squad as well.”

Colston Loveland will remain a key focus in Johnson's offense. He's coming off back-to-back games with at least six receptions for 65 yards and one touchdown in the wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Patriots. 

Even with Kmet gone, Johnson doesn't believe his offense will change. The Bears have trained all their tight ends to do all the jobs required in his scheme. One possible solution the Bears' head coach brought up is using more jumbo packages, bringing in another offensive lineman, something the team hasn't done too much this season. 

"In our route running, I think we're going to be okay," Johnson said. "I'm not discounting the impact of a guy like Cole has. Like I said before, he's one of the glue guys and he has a huge amount of dependability from the coaching staff, from his teammates. We knew what we were going to get from that player every time he took the field, and he was playing. He's consistently one of the highest graded players on our offense week-in and week-out. He will be missed, there's no question about it. But in terms of what we do, it's not going to change a whole lot.”