Published October 23, 2026 04:22 PM
Bears coach Ben Johnson confirmed that tight end Cole Kmet will miss the rest of the season on injured reserve after a right knee injury Thursday night.
The Bears made the move official Friday.
In seven games, Kmet made 10 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Johnson said the Bears will miss Kmet, who has missed only one game in seven seasons.
“He’s one of my favorites for a number of reasons,” Johnson said, via Adam Jahns of CHGO_Sports. “I still remember him at the combine coming out and how much I loved him in that slight interaction we had there. To be able to be in the same room with him for the last year and a half, I’ve got so much respect for the player that he is, but also the person, the leader. He’s everything we want to be about here. He’s one of the glue guys. He’s one of the guys that I can count on, whether it’s a messaging standpoint or getting the pulse of the team. He’s going to be sorely missed. Really, he’s Chicago. He’s been here his whole life, and he’s a big part of our heartbeat. So, it stinks. It does. I hate it for him. I hate it for his teammates as well. And yet the train keeps rolling along. Someone else has to step up. Fortunately, we talked about this last week: Just our practice squad, the way we’ve been developing, the way they’ve been working, I think we’ve got some good options here on this roster. So, yeah, we’re going to miss him.”