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Cole Kmet is looking extra swole these days. The Chicago Bears tight end attended Tight End University (TEU), a three-day gathering of 49 of the league’s best at the position, and he went viral after some photos of his time in the weight room began circulating.
Held in Nashville, the tight end summit is run by three of the best to ever do it: recently retired former Bears, Panthers and Seahawks tight end Greg Olsen and two current players: George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I’m a big believer that you surround yourself with good people which brings the best out of you,” Kittle said about TEU, via Turron Davenport of ESPN. “We’re sharing our strategy with guys. Our mindsets, how you approach the game. All of this is for the tight end position to take a step forward. I’m excited that we have such a great group of guys.”
Tight ends attending the summit include Darren Waller, Noah Fant, Zach Ertz, Mark Andrews, Jonnu Smith, Eric Ebron, T.J. Hockenson, David Njoku, Robert Tonyan, and Kyle Pitts.
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Kmet is Looking & Feeling Stronger Heading Into Year 2
Attending the TEU summit is one way the young tight end is trying to improve his game. As evidenced by the viral photos, Kmet has been putting in a ton of work in the weight room, but he has also been studying the quirks and idiosyncrasies of Matt Nagy’s offense.
“Right now, after being a year in the offense and kinda understanding what coach Nagy and coach Lazor are doing with this offense, I’m a lot more comfortable with it. I’m stronger,” Kmet said on June 9. “I feel like I’m quicker and faster right now. Just a lot of confidence going in with the offense and in myself.”
A 2nd-round pick for Chicago in 2020, many are expecting Kmet to take a big leap this year. He caught 28 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season, with 20 of those catches coming in the final five games of the season. If he can catch fire in Year 2, the Bears will know that 2nd rounder was unquestionably worth it.
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Jimmy Graham: Sky’s the Limit for Kmet
One veteran at the position who has been key to Kmet’s development has been Jimmy Graham, who has become a mentor to the young tight end in 2020.
“He’s just a pro,” Graham said about Kmet. “The way he handles himself and the way he works. He’s in there all the time, getting bigger, getting stronger, you know, completely focused. He never rests on his laurels. He’s not a kid who hasn’t been playing and takes time off. He’s going to give 100 percent effort all the time in everything he does. He’s just a special kid. For him, there’s truly no ceiling. He can be as good as he wants to be.”
For his part, Kmet says his uptick in production towards the end of last season also gave him momentum and confidence heading into his second season.
“To be able to end the season kinda like that in terms of getting a lot more snaps and being more productive at the end of the season, it’s obviously a real good thing coming into this offseason and going into these OTAs,” Kmet said. “I’m looking to build on what I did at the end of last season and continue to grow from there.”
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