Cole Kmet Admits The Real Reason He Celebrated The D.J. Moore Trade
When the trade came down in March that the Chicago Bears were dealing the #1 pick to Carolina for D.J. Moore and multiple draft picks, many on the team celebrated. Justin Fields was one of them. The quarterback needed more weapons in the worst way. Moore represented the best receiver he’s worked with since Chris Olave at Ohio State. Others on the offensive side of the ball were happy too. Tight end Cole Kmet was one of them. Moore would be a critical piece in helping the offense take a necessary step forward.
However, there was admittedly another reason he was happy. He explained to the media during his Wednesday press conference this week.
“You see what (Moore) does just on the field in routes versus air, and just how he moves, that he’s going to be a big impact player for us. For the tight end room, it’s big. You’ve got a guy that can threaten vertically and can do those things and open up zones and holes for us.”
Remember that Kmet is entering a contract year. A big season for him can mean a massive payday going into 2024. The arrival of Moore in Chicago couldn’t be timed better. Carolina never took full advantage of this reality, failing to feature tight ends much in the passing game. Greg Olsen did have 597 yards in 2019 at 34 years old, though. So there is proof it works when the team actually targets the position.
Cole Kmet sees the big picture.
Moore’s arrival helps Justin Fields, but his presence can have a cascade effect everywhere. Now defenses will be forced to roll more coverages in his direction. If they don’t, Moore has a proven history of making them pay for it. He’s too fast and too good of a route runner to be left one-on-one with no help. Bears cornerbacks are already finding that out in practice. With so much attention going to one player, it opens up big opportunities for everybody else. That is how guys like Robbie Anderson and Curtis Samuel have career years playing alongside him.
Unlike Carolina, the Bears’ offense likes to feature tight ends. They proved it last year by getting Cole Kmet more involved. He already has the trust of Fields. Moore’s arrival means that some of the plays that were tight window throws last year could be more wide open this year. That should result in more big gains. More yards and more touchdowns mean more money and more wins. There is literally no downside from Kmet’s perspective. So yeah, it’s easy to understand why he’s happy.