We Finally Know Why Cole Kmet Vanished In Waldron's Offense

Shane Waldron couldn't even make it an entire season as Chicago Bears offensive coordinator. There were plenty of reasons for his dismissal. His lack of commanding presence, inability to make quick adjustments, and putting way too much on the plate of his rookie quarterback all played significant parts. Scoring 27 points combined in three games was what ultimately did him in. However, one of the more baffling subplots of the entire crapshow was the inability to get tight end Cole Kmet more involved in the passing game.

The former 2nd round pick had the best season of his career in 2023, going for 719 yards and six touchdowns. One would think Waldron, a former tight ends coach, would be eager to get him the ball. Yet he received only six targets through the first two weeks. Finally, after some urging from the locker room, Waldron funneled the ball to him in Indianapolis. Eleven targets produced 10 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown.

However, it was short-lived. Over the next six games, Kmet was targeted just 17 more times. Ever since people have searched for answers to why.

Cole Kmet was likely the victim of a coach with a soft ego.

A source has told SM that the tight end was one of the most outspoken voices against Waldron. The crisis moment came in the Colts game during the infamous pitch play to D'Andre Swift on 4th down, which lost 12 yards. Kmet was apparently furious after that call, feeling Waldron should've gone to him at least once during the sequence instead of running four straight times. The tight end was also part of the group that confronted Waldron after the game about his approach. While the coordinator made the adjustments they requested, Kmet's targets went right back down.

He is on track for 64 targets this season, which would be the lowest since his rookie year in 2020. Cole Kmet is way too good of a weapon to justify that. The only explanation outside of gross incompetence is that Waldron had a slight grudge against the tight end for speaking out against him. If this is the case, it is no wonder Bears players quickly lost respect for him.