Who Should I Start? Cole Kmet or Ja'Tavion Sanders

Wednesday, January 7, 9:39 PM

Across 16 games this season, Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet hauled in 30 of his 48 targets for 347 yards and two touchdowns. Kmet has taken a back seat to rookie Colston Loveland as the primary receiving tight end, posting his fewest catches and yards since his rookie season. Still, the 26-year-old remains a key piece of Chicago's dynamic offense this season, logging the third-highest snap share (70.4%) on the team. Kmet has recorded two receptions in five straight games to close the season, and he remains a low-ceiling option for Saturday's Wild-Card game against the Green Bay Packers. The impending return of receiver Rome Odunze (foot) won't be good news for Kmet's potential target share on Saturday night.

Sunday, December 28, 5:08 PM

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) suffered a broken ankle during Sunday's Week 17 loss against the Seattle Seahawks, according to head coach Dave Kanales. He will undergo surgery during the upcoming week. This injury will shut down Sanders for the final week of the regular season and presumably all of the playoffs, should Carolina qualify. He ends the year with just 29 catches for 190 yards and one touchdown through 13 games. It was a disappointing campaign for the tight end out of Texas, who showed promise as a rookie but evidently wasn't able to take a second-year leap in 2025. Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, and James Mitchell will step up as the Panthers' top tight ends going forward.