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He is not going to be playing the inline TE role, Smythe will get those targets. He didnt get drafted for him to block. Johnson will adapt to the roster to design his offense but the first two picks mirror players he had in Detriot , Loveland and Burden. He has 2 TEs that can catch passes, he will use both in his offensive scheme. In Detriot the 2nd TE had 16 targets, that wont happen here.

Maybe they had an offensive play caller that didnt design plays for him? Maybe you had a rookie QB that targeted certain WRs and ignored throwing to him. If you watch game tape, many times he was open and the rookie QB throws into a crowd to someone else. We can both make points but it all comes down to what the Bears do with him in an offensive that will be player friendly that spreads the ball around. You point to him not being talented because we drafted a rookie that hasnt had a NFL snap yet? That his lack of targets is because he isnt very good? Last year with 55 targets he had a 85.5% catch rate. In 2023 with with 90 targets caught 73 passes with 81.4% catch rate. Led TEs both years in catch % What would he had done last year if he got 153 targets. He would have better stats than Bowers. Last year Bowers had a 153 targets.(71.1 % catch rate) Is he talented, absoutely but Raiders had lousy WRs and they focused on throwing him the ball. You need to look at roster contruction when you judge targets. You say how bad the coaching staff was, OL was but then dont figure that into the performance of everyone except Caleb.

OK, but youre saying he had a high catch rate, and was usually wide open when he was targeted, but had a low target rate. COuldnt that mean he didnt get open unless it was a blown coverage or a hole in a zone? ANd then he caught the ball well when he was wide open. But does that indicate that he won battles? Got open when someone was on him? The tape, to my eyes, looks like hes too stuff to shake off defenders. That would account fot his low targets, and his wide open status on the smaller number of targets?

BJ wont necessarily run the same offense as he did in Detroit. I do agree Loveland's receiving stats could be similar, but Loveland CAN block too!

I think teams with weak schedules who get the playoffs usually dont do very well. I kinda like a tough schedule, because if you succeed, you know what youve got?

It's crazy how we get one of the hardest schedules on an annual basis. Gotta plow through...💪

I dont know where this Loveland is a great blocker comes from. He needs to develop this part of his game, hes a hard worker so he should. He is called a TE, but really a big WR. I added some draftbuzz scouting reports. Imagine Kmets stats if he had a QB other than Fields who did find him more or a rookie QB who had too much on his plate and struggled most games until the 4th Qtr. DJ Moore had better stats in Carolina. So is the problem the players or the Bears (coaching)

the best schedule for the Bears would be playing Sunday afternoons, but with BJ and Caleb Im afraid we will be popular with prime time games. 2 games released- 2 prime time games.

Loveland is playing the LaPorta role in the Ben Johnson offense. Last year LaPorta had 551 snaps with 452 routes. Sam was rarely asked to block. Loveland will rarely be put in as inline blocker role of the TE. He will line up out, the Y and Z positions and at the slot WR role. If you look at any of his draft reviews he has the traits to be a good blocker but was rarely asked to block in college. He was not brought here to fill the inline TE role. He is not replacing Kmet, he is pass catching TE more liken to a WR. As AZ argues , will Kmet be used enough to justify his pay. We will get to see how the O scheme developes.

? If you look at all his catches from last year he is open 90% of the time. He cant break away from LBers? Team leaders are not just star players. He was one of the announced captains last year. He may be that again. Once again I will say he had the best catch rate in the league last year for TEs. He can play the inline TE2 and catch the ball, not just an inline TE. Nothing wrong to say you dont think he is worth his salary but the Bears appear to not agree with you, they are the ones that gave him the new contract in 2024. He was the 9th rated TE going into last year and we had a dysfuncional offense with a rookie QB. He went from 90 targets to 55 last year. His problem was a lack of targets not a lack of talent.

This is the best statement I have seen on the realistic view of the TE position. Johnson will fit both into game planning, its not one or the other. The roster is one edge player away from being complete. Maybe that other edge is already here and havent recognized it yet. The Cap is not a problem.

I am only saying Kmet isnt special, and that Loveland is better. On our roster, I dont think Kmet is worth the money. For someone else, it might work out differently. Kmet is a middle of the pack starting TE in my view - he will have people interested, but its not gonna be a 1st or 2nd round pick in trade I agree. I agree again about 2 TE sets forcing defenses out of nickel and into base defense. And If Cole isnt on the team, there will be someone else playing TE2 for sure - and they will be an inline blocker so as to force the exact mismatches youre talking about. I just dont think Cole is worth the money they're paying him, and will replace him with someone cheaper. I didnt see Kmet breaking free of LBers covering him. That's the theory here. Or even using his big body in a west coast way to shield off defenders. He SHOULD be able to do that, but I havent seen it on tape. My lack of faith in Kmets price tag is one thing, but we totally agree about 12 personnel and Ben Johnson's ability to leverage it - we see that the same way. I bet the new coaches are looking at Kmet and DJ Moore to see if last year was about losing, or if it means they are head cases. I think for both, they wanted to win and were frustrated with Eberflus. But Im not sure how much of a leadership role Kmet will have going forward here? Especially as TE2? And I do think someone else will pay him to be TE1, and he would naturally want that? Cutting Kmet is an interesting question. It boils it down to just the money. There is no draft pick. Makes it a harder choice. Adam, or anyone, what are the compensatory ramifications for this? Do we get a pick if we cut him?

I agree with all of this. The best way to help Caleb is a good running game that opens up play action.

They released all international games, and the Bears are not on the slate. I do not mind at all that they don't have to travel internationally. The Bears travel the 5th fewest miles. I would say there is not much of a difference in a few thousand miles over the course of an entire season, but with the top 3 teams having over 30K miles and 20K more than the Bears seems like a lot for them, and a good thing for the Bears.

For the sake of argument, how can we say that Kmet is not good and then say someone would trade for him? That's a contradiction I can't wrap my head around. Either he has value or not. Agreeing that we disagree on skills and value to team, explain spreading the field with a move TE and three receivers vs 2 and 2. 2 and 2 gives you the mismatches you want. It requires bigger defenders. With bigger, meaning slower, you now have the ability to mismatch Swift and Loveland with Kmet as a blocker or safety net. Can't do that as well with one TE. Twelve personnel is a matchup problem in the run and pass game. Lastly, Cole is a locker room leader, legacy player and native Chicagoan. My bet is he wants to stay and would sign a reasonable deal to do so. And if you are correct, he's simply not good enough, he's cut.

Loveland is supposed to be an excellent blocker - with a high degree of athleticism. That is why he went where the Bears took him. Or at least that is what they saw in him to take him where they did. It is the combination of high end blocking tools with high end athleticism that make him a unicorn type of prospect at TE which at least in the eyes of Poles justified him drafting him where he was. Whether Bears scouts are right, we shall see - but this isn't a Jimmy Graham who you knew was in there to catch passes vs. block...he's supposed to kind of have the Jimmy Graham pass catching ability while also being a good run blocker, meaning play actions should work really well with him in there, including in 12 package with Kmet on the field too. Knowing how much Ben Johnson leveraged the playaction game in Detroit - you got to think this is going to be a huge focal point of the Bears offense (also helped that Detroit had a very high octane ground game and oline). BJ was also elite in how he mixed those things up too.

i totally get that Kmet and Loveland are different in style. But Im saying Kmet isn t that good - even at what he does. In fact, Im not convinced that Loveland isnt a better blocker than Kmet. As for spacing and working different areas of the field, there are lots of ways to put 4 or 5 guys into the pattern, no matter whether you have 0, 1 or 2 TEs in the game - I know you agree with that. So Kmet isnt better playing any area of the field than Loveland or Burden would be, but there are areas that Kmet cant get to that Burden and Loveland can? So to me, I predict Kmet will get traded next year, or at the trade deadline. But all of this with the caveat that Kmet DOES have physical tools. If the light goes on for him, he can play himself back into relevance here, and stick around. I'm just personally betting against that happening, because i havent seen it yet from him? I suppose if he were to agree to a cheaper contract he could also stay, but no one ever does that with years to go on their deal, and the likelihood that someone will pay him in a trade. But your last point is dead on. The stage is set, over-set even. There are weapons everywhere and a stellar coaching staff. It all falls on Caleb now. Exciting times to be sure! I mean, what does it say that we are all dithering over TE2? That only happens when other things are looking set. Pretty cool.

Bowers and Loveland are the same player. Kmet gives Loveland a compliment instead competition. They work different areas of the field to provide spacing and give more options. So, yes I disagree. Johnson called exactly 100 pass plays to his TE's last year. Our TE's are individually better than theirs, so I'm predicting a slight uptick in opportunity there. Johnson also is an extremely balanced play caller. He'll vary plays designed to the personnel he has, but I believe that same balance will exist. Still, it's all on Caleb...

I agree. Loveland isnt a bad blocker though. There was a narrative that he was all WR, and youre right that he can play like one, but apparently he is a better blocker than people realize too. Im not sure when we go to one TE inline that it will be Kmet though and not Loveland?

Poles has been active at the trade deadline every year.

I dont think anyone, including me, disagrees with that. It's not too early to make projections, but it is too early to actually trade Kmet in any case.

Before I start getting rid of players, I want to see the offense work first. This is way to early to project scenarios.