The Chicago Bears will be without tight end Cole Kmet for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury, which led the team to add a new player to the active roster and fill out the position group ahead of a clash of titans with the Seattle Seahawks on “Monday Night Football.”
Chicago announced the move via its official X account on Monday, November 2.
“The #Bears have elevated TE Stephen Carlson from the practice squad for Monday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks,” the team wrote. Carlson is a standard practice-squad gameday elevation and, per NFL regulation, will revert back to the club’s practice squad after the game.
Stephen Carlson Has 28 Games of NFL Experience, Including 3 Contests Played for Chicago
The 29-year-old Carlson is an undrafted player out of Princeton. He stands at six-feet, four-inches tall and weighs 240 pounds.
Carlson has four years of NFL service, including two seasons with the Cleveland Browns in 2019 and 2020. He also appeared in games for the Bears 2023 (one contest) and 2025 (two outings).
All told, Carlson has made 28 career appearances as a pro, starting seven of those games (all in Cleveland). He is a block-first tight end who has tallied six catches for 62 yards and one TD on nine targets.
His snap counts include 308 on offense and 462 on special teams.
Bears Will Fill Cole Kmet’s Role With Sam Roush, Who Stephen Carlson Will Replace as TE3
Kmet is a considerable loss for the Bears and, unfortunately, Carlson won’t be able to fill his shoes.
It will actually be third-round rookie Sam Roush who steps into Kmet’s previous role as TE2 behind Colston Loveland. Carlson will fill in as TE3 for Roush, though each player’s promotion probably means a decrease in the level of play that Chicago could otherwise expect from the TE2 and TE3 positions.
Roush has struggled during his NFL transition, accounting for multiple drops and some missed blocking assignments early in the year. That said, he was one of the better players doing both at the collegiate level in 2025.
Chicago runs more 12 and 13 personnel (two- and three-tight end sets, respectively) than most teams in the league. Head coach Ben Johnson likes to create mismatches on defense and scheme up creative plays in both the run and pass games with multiple tight ends on the field who can provide versatility and therefore optionality.
As such, Kmet’s injury is bigger than it would be for most teams losing their No. 2 tight end. And his absence might prove particularly noticeable on “Monday Night Football” against the Seahawks, who boast among the best run defenses in the NFL.
Bears Add Cole Kmet Replacement to Roster Ahead of Seahawks Showdown