Windy City Gridiron
For the 17th straight year, we’re bringing you who we believe will be the ten most important Chicago Bears for the upcoming season, and at number 9 is Chicago’s 12 Personnel.
As soon as the Chicago Bears drafted Colston Loveland, speculation started that they were looking to replace Cole Kmet with a more dynamic receiver at tight end. Kmet was coming off his fewest receptions (47) and yards (423) since his rookie season (28/243), and Ben Johnson’s primary tight end in Detroit was Sam LaPorta, whom Loveland was often compared to.
But Loveland (F) and Kmet (Y) play different positions, and Johnson isn’t running the Lions offense; he’s building his Bears playbook around the talent in the Windy City, and Kmet is part of that plan.
Two tight end sets (12 personnel/1 RB & 2 TEs) are a great way to find mismatches, and with Kmet being a better athlete than you probably think he is, and Loveland a better blocker than you probably think he is, the Bears will be able to move these two all around the offense.
Number 9 on my 2025 Most Important Bears series is Kmet and Loveland, aka, Chicago’s 12 personnel package. So I guess technically, Durham Smythe and a possible OL6 lined up as a tight end could be a part of their 12, but it’ll be Kmet and Loveland getting the bulk of the reps. I’ve combined players into one number on my list before, but that was when there was a question at a position like center or left tackle. This time, it’s because two tight end sets seem primed to be an important part of what the Bears want to do in 2025.
“I think the goal with it is to become the best 12 [personnel] tandem in the league and see where we can take it from there,” Kmet said last month after discussing what he was told by his head coach.
Although his overall numbers were down last year, Kmet remained productive. He led all tight ends with an 85.5 catch percentage and was second among tight ends with a 70.9 success rate*. Chicago’s offense was disjointed most of last season, and in eight games, Kmet had two or fewer targets. His 2025 numbers may not approach his 73 catches and 719 yards of 2023, but Kmet will be an effective receiver in Johnson’s offense.
As a blocker, Kmet has never been a mauler, but he’s got a big frame and he’s willing to get in there and work. When he’s asked to do what he can do, he’s fine, and I have a feeling Ben Johnson’s run scheme will also benefit Kmet with more outside zone and by giving him better blocking angles. I expect him to have...
