NFL Injury · Chicago Bears

Is Cole Kmet playing today?

By IsHePlayingToday Staff · Updated Oct 24, 2026

No. And this one is not a wait-and-see situation. Cole Kmet hurt his right knee late on Thursday night against the Patriots, had to be carted off the field, and on Friday head coach Ben Johnson said the Bears tight end will miss the rest of the season. He is headed to injured reserve.

It is a rough ending to a year in which Kmet had been one of the most reliable players on the roster. Below is what happened on the play, what the coach and the reports said on Friday, and who takes his snaps from here.

What happened on Thursday night

It came with 5:34 left in the fourth quarter, with the Bears driving to close out the win. Kmet caught an 8-yard pass from Caleb Williams and ran up the sideline, where two Patriots defenders — linebacker Robert Spillane and corner Christian Gonzalez — hit him low. Kmet grabbed his right knee right away and stayed down for a few minutes.

He could not put any weight on his right leg. The cart came out, and Kmet gave a thumbs-up to the crowd as he was taken to the locker room. The Bears ruled him out of the game before the cart had even finished its trip. He finished the night with three catches for 28 yards.

The look of it was bad enough that nobody needed a medical degree to read the room. Johnson said after the game that the injury did not look "very good," which is unusual for him — he almost never talks about injuries like that. Teams rarely rule a player out that fast on a knee unless the staff already knows what it is looking at.

Friday brought the worst news

On Friday, NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Kmet is headed to injured reserve, which means a minimum of four games out. Then Johnson went further: he said Kmet will miss the rest of the season.

Johnson's words told you how much this one hurt the locker room. "He's a big part of our heartbeat. It stinks. I hate it." Kmet has been one of the toughest players on the team — he had missed just one game in seven seasons before Thursday night. Losing a player like that stings differently than losing a replaceable part.

The exact diagnosis has not been made public. At least one physician, looking at the game video from outside the building, raised the idea of a serious ligament tear, but the team has not confirmed any of that. What is confirmed is the outcome: he is done for 2026.

What it means for the Bears

Kmet was more than a pass-catcher. He was Chicago's in-line tight end — the guy who blocks on early downs and moves the chains on third. Ben Johnson's offense leans on two-tight-end sets, and Kmet was a big part of why those worked. His snaps now have to be covered by the rest of the room.

Colston Loveland is the main answer. The second-year tight end caught seven passes for 69 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots, and on the season he has 26 catches for 244 yards and two scores. He has been the better pass-catcher of the two all year. Now he gets the full-time lead role, and the offense will run more of the passing game through him.

Behind Loveland, rookie Sam Roush steps up as the No. 2 tight end. The Bears drafted him in the third round this year, and the coaching staff has talked up his size and athleticism since camp. He is not the blocker Kmet is — not yet — but he gets his first real chance at regular snaps.

What it means for your fantasy lineup

If Kmet was on your roster, you can drop him. This is not a stash-and-wait situation: the coach said the season is over. There is no point holding him through the winter hoping for a playoff return.

The player to pick up is Colston Loveland. He was already producing, he just took over the lead job, and the Bears throw to their tight ends plenty in this offense. If Loveland is somehow still sitting on your waiver wire, he is the priority add at tight end this week. Sam Roush is only a name to watch in very deep leagues — he gets snaps now, but the targets should flow to Loveland first.

The verdict

There is no debate left on this one, and no reason to wait on updates. Kmet is out for the season, on injured reserve, with his coach saying so plainly on Friday. The Bears move on with Loveland leading the tight end room and Roush getting his shot. If you were rostering Kmet in fantasy, make the swap this weekend — Loveland is the add.