Cole Kmet's Injury Could Create an Opportunity For Forgotten Rookie

Cole Kmet's season-ending knee injury will be a massive blow to Chicago's offense. He's played 62% of the offensive snaps and has been a huge part of their success in the running game.

The injury will probably give rookie Sam Roush a massive uptick in opportunities. However, they've run 13 personnel (featuring three tight ends) roughly 8% of the time. Unless they scrap that formation entirely, it feels safe to assume that they'll be making an addition, whether it be via free agency or the practice squad, to address his absence.

Adding Stephen Carlson to the active roster makes sense. He's been a fixture on the team's practice squad since 2023 and has been called up for three games since then, including two last season.

However, Ben Johnson also hinted at another name who might help fill the Kmet-sized void. He said the team will see where undrafted rookie Hayden Large, who actually made the team's initial 53-man roster before landing on Injured Reserve on September 1, is in his recovery from a core injury.

Ben Johnson is a big fan of Hayden Large

The Bears liked Hayden Large enough not to risk losing him on roster cut-down day. If they had cut him on August 30, he would've been subjected to waivers. Even if an injury might've thrown a wrench into those plans for another squad, they saw enough to invest a spot in him.

He was then placed on IR on September 1, which allowed the team to retain his rights for the season. If you remember Johnson's comments surrounding Large from rookie minicamp, that decision might not have been a massive surprise.

"He was one of the guys that we identified well before the draft that he's a player that we really liked," Johnson said. "I actually called him before the draft and let him know that we had a vision for him.

"When you take a tight end in the third round, that's kind of like, 'Ah shoot, that might take us away from Hayden coming here', and yet, he didn't bat an eye. This is where he wanted to be, and that speaks volumes about how he's wired. He was a walk-on at Iowa and had to earn playing time and going through a long, hard, road. I really think we got a good one there."

Why is Johnson so high on the undrafted rookie? The long, hard road he mentioned probably played a major role in his confidence. From a medical standpoint, few players endured a more difficult path than the University of Iowa product.

He missed his entire senior season of high school after part of his pelvic bone broke in a severe hamstring tear. Large's recovery included 35 days of bed rest, and doctors were unsure if he'd be able to continue playing football.

Large was considered damaged goods, and the recruiting interest died down significantly. He was forced to play three years at small-school Dordt University before landing at the University of Iowa ahead of the 2023 season.

While he'll probably never be a weapon in the receiving game (he had only 14 catches for 89 yards at the collegiate level), he showed strong run-blocking chops with the Hawkeyes. Some of that promise also showed up in the preseason.

Ben Johnson and Co. probably expected Large to have a redshirt rookie season, regardless of his health status. However, Kmet's injury might see him playing a key role far earlier than expected.

Large getting his foot in the door of the NFL is already a major accomplishment. His next battle will be to prove he belongs.