Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after suffering a serious right knee injury during the team's 30-24 win over the New England Patriots, coach Ben Johnson announced Friday.
The Bears placed Kmet on season-ending injured reserve after testing Friday morning, following his inability to bear weight on the leg. The injury occurred with 5:46 left in the fourth quarter, when Kmet caught an 8-yard pass from Caleb Williams and collided with Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Robert Spillane. He grabbed his knee immediately and was carted to the locker room, giving the Soldier Field crowd a thumbs-up as he left. In seven games this season, Kmet had 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Johnson called Kmet one of the team's "glue guys" and said he will be "sorely missed." "It stinks, it does. I hate it for him," Johnson said. "And yet the train keeps rolling along. Someone else has to step up." Kmet, 27, was drafted by the Bears in 2020 and has missed only one game over his seven NFL seasons. He recently became just the second tight end in franchise history to surpass 3,000 career receiving yards, joining Hall of Famer Mike Ditka.
With Kmet out, Chicago will rely on Colston Loveland and rookie Sam Roush. Other depth options include Stephen Carlson, Qadir Ismail on the practice squad and undrafted free agent Hayden Large, who is eligible to return from injured reserve. Johnson said the offense will not change, noting that the tight ends have been trained to handle all the jobs. "I think we're gonna be OK," he said.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing