The Chicago Bears had probably the most physical practice seen at Halas Hall in at least the past 20 years. Veteran beat writers said they’d seen nothing like it since the days of Lovie Smith. Head coach Ben Johnson was out to send a message. He wants a physical team. Smash-mouth football will be their identity again. Unfortunately, such a style of practice can sometimes lead to casualties. A couple of players left early with injuries. One of them was tight end Cole Kmet.
This was noteworthy because this is a guy who isn’t known for leaving the field much. Kmet is no stranger to playing hurt. Having to leave practice led some to fear it might be serious. Thankfully, Adam Hoge provided an update on Hoge & Jahns.
Hoge: And there were definitely some injuries. Kmet left practice early with a trainer. That was concerning because it takes a lot to get Kmet off the field, but the early word is that he avoided a serious injury and might only miss a few days. To your point, though, you didn’t see Ben Johnson coach scared at any point Tuesday, even after Kmet went down.
Great news for the Bears. He will likely get a couple of days off and maybe return in time for the Bears’ anticipated joint practice with the Miami Dolphins. Given its importance to the offense’s development, he is no doubt eager to be part of that.
Cole Kmet was always built tough.
He comes from excellent stock, after all. The guy is huge and well-built. His body is made for the rigors of the NFL. Whenever he has been hurt, he’s rarely taken long to return. He has never missed a game in his NFL career. There is no way he plans to start now on the cusp of what could be a new era in Bears football. It isn’t clear what Cole Kmet suffered in that practice. The team isn’t required to provide details on injuries until the start of the season. He walked off the field under his own power, leading one to imagine it was an upper body issue of some kind. Whatever the case, it’s a relief to hear he should be fine. No doubt Johnson is eager to throw him and 1st round pick Colston Loveland at the Dolphins defense going into the weekend.
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