Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet met with NFL Network senior national reporter Stacey Dales for an exclusive interview on The Insiders.
Here are the four biggest takeaways from their entire conversation.
4. Bears Understand That 2026 Is A New Season
GettyThe Chicago Bears won the NFC North in 2025 after finishing with an 11-6 record.
When asked about how the Chicago Bears’ 2025 playoff run impacts the team’s momentum heading into next season, Kmet took a step back in his response.
“I know a lot of people on the outside, I think, look at it as a launching pad. I think the reality of it is that everything starts over”, Kmet stated.
“Unfortunately, things that we did last year don’t necessarily carry over to this upcoming year. You know, you hope there’s things that we did from years, from last year specifically, that we can build upon…It’s up to us, especially this time of year and going into camp, to make sure those things come alive.”
This sentiment is nearly the same as the response Ben Johnson echoed at his end-of-season press conference in January, when asked a similar question.
Johnson’s message is clear and has obviously reached the entire team. 2025 is over, and the team understands that they start back at the bottom in 2026.
3. Caleb Williams Is Mastering Ben Johnson’s Offense
GettyCaleb Williams broke the Chicago Bears single-season passing record with 3,942 yards thrown in 2025.
When asked about how Caleb Williams is developing entering year three, Kmet responded with, “I think it’s more of the verbiage and knowledge base. The ball is always flying off his hands. I think that goes back to his high school days…The arm talent is always jumped for him. I think for him it was always about the mental side of it, and it slowing down for him. I think you really saw that down the stretch there. You know him and Ben [Johnson] got into a good groove of knowing one another…You know Ben does a great job calling it, and then Caleb just continued to master and master the offense. I know he’s made it a point of his going into this year to take an even further step with it.”
2. Ben Johnson Loves The Run Game
GettyThe Chicago Bears rushed for 2,456 yards as a team in 2025, the third-most in the NFL.
Kmet then talked about the artistry of Ben Johnson as a coach, stating, “He’s just a true football coach…I’ve been around a lot of guys that, they love their pass game, they love their schemes, and they love the ball in the air. At the end of the day, Ben loves the run game, and that’s his baby. I’ve never been around a playcaller, let alone a head coach, that will do the run install. Usually that’s the offensive line coach or the run game coordinator…You know Ben takes a lot of pride in it. He wants to make sure everybody is on the same page when it comes to the run game.”
1. State Of The Tight End Room Is Promising
GettyChicago Bears tight ends Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet combined for 1,060 yards and eight touchdowns during the 2025 regular season.
Finally, when discussing the state of the tight end room, Kmet shared, “I think it’s a really promising group going into this year…Colston [Loveland] and I specifically built going into year two of the offense, we’re excited to take another step forward with it. I think we really saw ourselves kind of come alive with playing as a tandem towards the backend of the season. And I think with Sam [Roush] joining us, it just adds another element that is going to be really hard for defense to take account for.”
By all metrics, the Bears appear to be trending upwards. The team is looking forward to the upcoming season and appears to be in good shape. They are less than 100 days away from their first test against the Carolina Panthers.
4 Big Takeaways From Bears TE Cole Kmet’s Tell-All Interview