We watched Justin Fields attempt a historically low amount of passes in the 2022 season, and that certainly had drastic consequences for the Bears' WR corps. However, one member of Chicago’s passing game didn’t feel those negative effects as strongly as the rest – if he did at all. He wasn’t a wide receiver, either – that player was Cole Kmet.
Down the stretch in 2022 from Weeks 9-18, Kmet logged the sixth-most targets among all TEs who were on the field for 60+% of snaps. That, along with the 2nd most touchdowns among those same tight ends in that span, propelled Kmet to an overall TE4 finish between Weeks 9-18.
Kmet also led all Bears pass catchers in targets and receptions by a considerable margin – 21 targets, to be exact. His 49 targets blew Chase Claypool’s 28 in that 9-week span out of the water, cementing Kmet as one of Fields’ favorite targets during his breakout 2022 and priming him for continued success in 2023.