Who Should I Start? Cole Kmet or Chig Okonkwo

Saturday, July 19, 11:33 AM

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet was initially taken aback when the team took rookie Colston Loveland in the first round in April, but now he's beginning to buy into new head coach Ben Johnson's offensive vision. "I'm excited about it. I'm excited to not only push him but then for him to push me. We're going to make each other better. I think the goal with it is to become the best 12 (personnel) tandem in the league and see where we can take it from there," Kmet said. In Detroit, Johnson's offense ran the third-most plays out of 12 personnel (two TEs) in the league, posted a success rate of 47.9%, averaged a gain of 6.2 yards per play and logged 59 explosive plays in 2024. The Lions also had the most TDs out of 12 personnel. It doesn't mean Chicago's offense will be among the best in the league immediately, but Kmet's demise might be premature, especially with Loveland still rehabbing a shoulder injury heading into training camp.

Wednesday, July 9, 3:01 PM

Tennessee Titans Chig Okonkwo has flashed on occasion during his three-year NFL career, but tight ends often take time to develop, and Tennessee's offense has been well below league-average since the start of the 2022 campaign. The former fourth-round pick out of Maryland has tallied 138 receptions (193 targets) for 1,457 yards and six touchdowns in 51 career games. Heading into Year 4, Titans beat writer Jim Wyatt believes he is "poised" for his best season as a pro. He now has valuable experience, and he'll enter the year with momentum after finishing the 2024 season on a roll." Wyatt wrote. "Okonkwo finished the year third on the team with 52 catches for 479 yards and two scores. The Titans are counting on big things from Okonkwo after a solid offseason, when I charted him with a team-high 13 catches during the five open practices." While it's tough to get too excited about a mid-level tight end catching passes from a rookie quarterback, there is a low bar for Cam Ward to have the best season of any Tennessee signal callers since Okonkwo arrived in Nashville. At his TE26 cost in preseason fantasy drafts, he's worth a dart throw given the lack of target competition behind Calvin Ridley.