The Bears have hoped rookie tight end Cole Kmet would develop into a full-time starter before the end of the season, and he appears to have convinced them he’s ready.
Coming out of their bye week, the Bears played Kmet a season-high 79% of the offensive snaps in their 41-25 loss to the Packers. It was the second week in a row he played more than veteran Jimmy Graham.
While Kmet’s playing time has spiked recently — he got between 24-35% of the snaps over the first seven games, then went to 43%, 47%, 70% and now 79% — he hasn’t given them much production as a receiver yet.