Can Kmet be the best Bears TE ever? 6 points on the Chicago Bears facing the Washington Commanders in Week 8

CHICAGO - This weekend, the football community celebrates National Tight Ends Day. 

Here are six points on the Chicago Bears as they return from their bye week against the Washington Commanders.

Welcome back (to Washington) Montez Sweat

Sweat knows Landover, Maryland, well. 

The former first-round pick out of Mississippi State was a Commander for the first five years of his career before being acquired by the Bears midway through the 2023 season for a second-round pick.

In just nine games, he led the Bears in sacks. In returning to Washington to play his former team, Sweat reflected on that trade. 

"I think like any other player would be, they would be a little offended, but it’s a business and I understand what comes with that," Sweat said. "I was offended, but I didn’t take it personal."

Sweat and teammate Chase Young were dealt at the deadline to the Bears and San Fransisco, respectively. 

Sweat is now one of the faces of the Bears' defense with a massive contract extension in tow. With all of that to consider, Sweat has moved on from the Commanders fully. Although, if he needs any motivation it's right there for the taking.

"I want to do damage every week," Sweat said. "So, maybe this week is maybe a little motivation, but it’s just another week." 

A win brings the Bears back to some 2018 vibes

A win over Jacksonville gave the Bears their first three-game winning streak since the 2020 season.

With a win over Washington, the Bears will turn the clock back to 2018. That's the last time the Bears they won four games in a row.

That year, of course, the Bears won the NFC North with a win over Green Bay and went to the playoffs. They lost in the NFC Wild Card round and there's no need to remind Bears fans what happened in that game.

Still, winning the NFC North is a challenge this year as the Vikings, Packers and Lions all have five wins. A win over Washington also gives the Bears a win over a team with a winning record, something that would put the Bears in line to compete with the rest of the NFC North. 

"Walkthroughs were good, and also the on-field work was also really good too," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. "I know the guys are excited about this competition. We haven't played in a little bit of time, so I know the guys are excited to compete against these guys in Washington."

The Bears aren't concerned about their run defense. They're right to not be

The Bears' run defense was suspect through five weeks. Against Jacksonville, the run defense stepped up and allowed defensive coordinator Eric Washington to have some confidence when he was asked about the run defense.

"I'm going to respond to that by just referencing our last performance. We had a two-headed monster over in London against Jacksonville," Washington said. "I think they got 68 yards rushing. You could attribute that to the way the game was going or the tenacity of the guys and the determination that they had to make sure that that was not an option for them."

Even with that performance against the Jaguars, the Bears are allowing an average of 4.6 yards per carry. Against Washington, it doesn't get any easier.

The Commanders have Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler leading the pack. Washington expressed his confidence in a group that's figured it out.

"I anticipate our guys taking that same mentality and moving it into this week," Washington said. "When you have an explosive run, there are a lot of variables. There are run fit variables, there are gap control variables. They are some of those things."

Shutting down the Jaguars might have fallen into the same kind of need Bears wide receiver DJ Moore mentioned before. The group just needs to see it all happen once, and then it'll all come together.

They saw it come together in London. The coaches are confident they'll keep it going.

"There's a lot of determination in that room to make sure that we move that particular part of our defense into the top five the way that we are with some of the others," Washington said.

Kliff Kingsbury and the ‘Caleb Williams effect'

The Bears were perhaps a coaching change away from having Kliff Kingsbury as their offensive coordinator.

Before Shane Waldron became available after Pete Carroll and the Seahawks mutually agreed that he'd step down, Kingsbury interviewed with the Bears. It made sense, considering he had experience with Williams and with mobile quarterbacks.

Kingsbury spent the 2023 football season as a senior offensive analyst at USC. He compared Williams to a quarterback he coached when he was the head coach at Texas Tech.

"Obviously, Lincoln had a tremendous amount of success with Caleb, so that was already in place and already set and my deal there was really to help in any way I could,"  Kingsbury told reporters this week. "I think just the competitive nature that he showed. I mean, he would want the ball in his hands in the biggest moments and almost to a fault sometimes where he'd kind of pass up maybe in an easy check down and be like, 'Hey, I can make a bigger play or I'm going to get out and do this,' because he is that big of a competitor. And it reminded me of the guy I had at Texas Tech because it's some of the same stuff early on in his career doing that."

That guy, of course, was Patrick Mahomes.

That answer came in part to a response to a question about how coaching Williams at USC helps him coach fellow rookie Jayden Daniels. Kingsbury mentioned how it comes down to finding what makes players tick.

"I think you take a little bit from every person along the way," Kingsbury said. "You find different things and try to figure out what makes them tick and what they do best and then try to push things that way and tailor the offense towards that."

National Tight End Day: Let's remember some Bears' TEs

Williams and Bears' tight end Cole Kmet are becoming fast friends. Against the Jaguars, Williams and Kmet connected for two touchdowns, proving the connection between the two is something the Bears can consider invaluable.

"When the quarterback has good trust in a tight end, a guy who can work edges and win one-on-ones as well as be a friendly target in zone coverages – he’s had some good opportunities and he’s maximized those opportunities," Waldron said on Thursday.

That was two Sundays ago, though. This Sunday is a holiday.

It's National Tight End Day. Season's greetings for Kmet, Marcedes Lewis and Gerald Everett. In honor of that, let's remember some Bears tight ends:

Mike Dikta

I don't have to explain this. Iron Mike was running over guys before he led the Bears to their only Super Bowl win as a head coach. He owns the record for most touchdowns by a Bears tight end with 34 scores.

Greg Olsen

Olsen was arguably the best tight end talent the Bears have ever had. He became an All-Pro in Carolina, and was so good ex-Bears GM Jerry Angelo went publicly with his regret in trading Olsen in 2011.

Matt Spaeth

The long-time Pittsburgh Steeler came to the Bears for two seasons in 2011 and 2012 as the guy signed after Olsen's departure. Spaeth was the last Bears' player to wear No. 89 before the Bears retired Ditka's old number in 2013.

Kellen Davis

Playing five years for the Bears, Davis caught 11 touchdowns in 80 games. He also guaranteed the Bears would beat Green Bay in the 2011 NFC Championship game. Tight end, he is; fortune-teller, he is not. Davis won a Super Bowl with Seattle in 2013.

Desmond Clark

An ultra-reliable pass catcher and blocker for the Bears in the 2000s. From 2003 to 2010, he caught 18 touchdowns and was a security blanket for the many Bears' quarterbacks in that time frame: from Jonathan Quinn to Jay Cutler.

Can Kmet be the best Bears TE ever?

At this point, Kmet needs to be a Bear for life if he wants to earn that title.

Kmet has amassed 2,407 receiving yards and 18 receiving touchdowns. That's 2,100 yards 16 touchdowns behind Dikta, which is within reach considering the Bears' quarterback situation and Kmet's contract situation. His extension ties him to the Bears through 2027.

If Williams continues his progression and Kmet remains healthy – nothing suggests he'll fade from the Bears' rotation of targets – those records should fall by the time that Kmet departs the Bears.

That's good for the Arlington Heights native and St. Viator product (which I say begrudgingly as a Carmel High School alum) who has become one of the steadiest voices on the Bears' roster.