Bears TE Cole Kmet out for season after knee injury vs. Patriots

Why Cole Kmet is out for the season

Cole Kmet is out for the rest of the season. Bears coach Ben Johnson announced Friday that the tight end will miss the remainder of 2026 after suffering a serious right knee injury in Chicago's 30-24 win over New England. The Bears placed Kmet on season-ending injured reserve following testing Friday morning, after he was unable to bear weight on his leg. In seven games this season, Kmet had 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown before the injury. Chicago will turn to tight ends Colston Loveland and rookie Sam Roush to fill the snaps Kmet leaves behind.

Johnson talked about what Kmet means to the locker room beyond the stat sheet. "He's everything we want to be about here," Johnson said. "He's one of the glue guys." He added that the tight end's absence would be felt, saying, "He's going to be sorely missed."

How the injury happened

With 5:46 left in the fourth quarter, Kmet caught an 8-yard pass from Caleb Williams and collided with Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Robert Spillane while running up the Bears' sideline. He grabbed for his knee immediately and had to be carted to the locker room. Current and former teammates, including Patriots safety Kevin Byard III, gathered around him before he left the field, and Kmet gave the crowd a thumbs-up as he was wheeled through the northwest tunnel inside Soldier Field.

Johnson said the moment was hard to watch. "It stinks, it does. I hate it for him," Johnson said. "I hate it for his teammates as well."

The season Kmet was having

Kmet, 27, was drafted by the Bears in 2020 and had missed only one game in seven NFL seasons before this injury. He carried the eighth-highest snap count among Bears offensive players this season at 62.19%. Two days before the injury, he passed Hall of Famer Mike Ditka to become just the second tight end in franchise history to top 3,000 career receiving yards, a mark he reached on three catches for 28 yards. His role had shifted since Johnson took over as coach in 2025, and his production as a pass catcher had dipped, but he remained a vital piece of the Bears' operation.

What the Bears do now

Without Kmet, Chicago leans on Loveland and Roush, with Stephen Carlson and Qadir Ismail on the practice squad and undrafted free agent Hayden Large eligible to come off injured reserve as further depth. The Bears run some of the highest rates of 12 and 13 personnel, multiple tight end sets, in the NFL, and Johnson said that will not change. "I don't see us really changing who we are," Johnson said, adding that the team believes it can still run the ball, pass protect and handle its route running without Kmet on the field.

Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.