Bears snap count: Matt Eberflus offers explanation for Cole Kmet’s curious low usage vs. Titans originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Cole Kmet has rarely left the field when healthy over the past few seasons. In fact, it would have been an odd sight to see the Bears’ tight end log fewer than 90 percent of the snaps during a game.
But that wasn’t the case Sunday in the Bears’ 24-17 comeback win over the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field.
With quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense struggling, head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron mixed and matched personnel in an attempt to find a spark. That search for a spark led to Kmet spending a lot of time on the sidelines in favor of tight end Gerald Everett.
Kmet played just 27 of the Bears’ 56 offensive snaps (48 percent), while Everett was on the field for 34 (61 percent).
On Monday, Eberflus said that Kmet’s low usage was just a product of the Bears now having two reliable tight ends who can play in 11 personnel (one back, one tight end, three wide receivers).
“I think we just have another tight end that is a good option,” Eberflus said Monday at Halas Hall. “To be able to change and adjust the matchups that the defense has to use, so we have different personnel groups, 11 personnel like a lot of teams do.”
It’s worth noting that Everett has previously played under Waldron, so trust and familiarity could have become a factor during a game where the Bears’ offense spun its wheels for 60 minutes.
Kmet’s playing time should tick up, but it will be something to monitor during the early portion of the season. With three top receivers, the Bears are expected to play a lot of 11 personnel this season. Clocking how the Bears choose to deploy Everett and Kmet in 11 will offer some insight into how Waldron wants to run the offense and what he thinks will provide the most support for Williams.
However, rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze’s knee injury could force the Bears to change their personnel usage. Odunze hurt his knee late in the win over the Titans and will undergo an MRI on Monday. Eberflus said there was some “concern” about Odunze’s injury, and his status for Week 2 is unknown.
If Odunze misses some time, the Bears could feature more two tight end sets due to the questionable receiver depth behind Odunze, DJ Moore, and Keenan Allen.
Here’s the snap count from the Bears’ 24-17 win over the Titans:
Quarterback: Caleb Williams, 56
Running backs: D’Andre Swift 39, Travis Homer 11, Khari Blasingame 7, Khalil Herbert 6, Velus Jones Jr. 4
Wide receivers: DJ Moore 49, Rome Odunze 43, Keenan Allen 38, DeAndre Carter 13
Tight ends: Gerald Everett 34, Cole Kmet 27, Marcedes Lewis 9
Offensive line: Braxton Jones 56, Coleman Shelton 56, Teven Jenkins 56, Darnell Wright 56, Ryan Bates 38, Nate Davis 18
Defensive line: DeMarcus Walker 53, Andrew Billings 45, Montez Sweat 44, Gervon Dexter 42, Darrell Taylor 38, Chris Williams 15, Byron Cowart 12, Austin Booker 6, Daniel Hardy 1
Linebackers: Tremaine Edmunds 64, T.J. Edwards 64, Jack Sanborn
Cornerbacks: Jaylon Johnson 64, Tyrique Stevenson 63, Kyler Gordon 61, Terell Smith 1
Safeties: Kevin Byard 64, Jaquan Brisker 64
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