Bears TE Kmet to be 'sorely missed' after season-ending knee injury

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  Courtney CroninOct 23, 2026, 03:30 PM ET

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  Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever and GameNight on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.

CHICAGO -- Bears tight end Cole Kmet will miss the remainder of the 2026 season after he suffered a serious right knee injury during Chicago's 30-24 win over New England, coach Ben Johnson announced Friday.

The Bears will place Kmet on season-ending injured reserve following testing Friday morning after he was unable to bear weight on his leg. In seven games, Kmet had 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.

"He's everything we want to be about here," Johnson said. "He's one of the glue guys. He's one of the guys that I can count on, whether it's a messaging standpoint or getting the pulse of the team. He's going to be sorely missed."

With 5:46 to play in the fourth quarter, Kmet caught an 8-yard pass from Caleb Williams before colliding with Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Robert Spillane as he ran up the Bears' sideline. The tight end immediately grabbed for his knee and had to be carted to the locker room.

Current and former teammates, including Patriots safety Kevin Byard III, gathered around Kmet as he was loaded onto a cart. He gave the crowd a thumbs up as he was transported through the northwest tunnel inside Soldier Field.

"It stinks, it does. I hate it for him. I hate it for his teammates as well," 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 has logged the eighth-highest snap count on offense (62.19%) this season and joined Hall of Famer Mike Ditka on Thursday as just the second tight end in franchise history to top 3,000 career receiving yards after he caught three passes for 28 yards.

He saw a role shift since Johnson took over in 2025 but remained a vital piece of the Bears' operation despite his production dipping as a pass catcher.

Without Kmet, Chicago will lean into Colston Loveland and rookie Sam Roush. Other options further down the Bears depth chart are Stephen Carlson and Qadir Ismail on the practice squad and undrafted free agent Hayden Large, who is eligible to come off injured reserve.

The Bears play some of the highest rates of 12 and 13 personnel (multiple tight end sets) in the NFL. While Kmet's absence will undoubtedly be felt in a multitude of ways, Johnson said the offense won't change, particularly what it asks of its tight ends.

"We trained all our tight ends to be able to do all the jobs," Johnson said. "I don't see us really changing who we are or what we do as a result of that. ... There's a lot of solutions out there to make sure that we can still run the ball, pass protect, and our route-running, I think we're gonna be OK."