Chicago Bears veteran’s job could be on the line in NFL Draft

If Ben Johnson is bringing his Detroit Lions playbook with him in his first season as Chicago Bears head coach, one of the offense’s key weapons could be in trouble during the NFL Draft.

Few of the Lions’ playmakers benefitted more from Johnson’s philosophies in the passing game than tight end Sam LaPorta.

LaPorta has become one of the most dynamic playmaking tight ends in the league through his first two seasons, catching 146 passes for 1,615 yards with 17 touchdowns. And, while conventional wisdom might suggest that Cole Kmet might be about to see an uptick in production in his first season in Johnson’s offense, that might not be the case.

Is Cole Kmet’s time with the Chicago Bears on the clock?

Chicago Bears on SI’s Bryan Perez put together a list of four players whose clock could be ticking in the Windy City ahead of this month’s draft, including Kmet.

“The Bears have been linked to Penn State tight end Tyler Warren in recent weeks,” Perez pointed out for SI. “And if he’s the player they snag with the 10th overall pick, questions about Kmet’s future in Chicago will begin.

“Sure, Ben Johnson will find a way to use Kmet and Warren together in 2025, but with Kmet’s dead cap hit dropping to just $3.2 million next offseason, he’d immediately become an obvious salary-cap target a year from now. It’s difficult envisioning the Bears tying up so much money into the tight end position, making Kmet a dead man walking.”

Depending on how the top nine selections play out, and particularly if Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is off the board, and if general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson each believe that Warren elevates quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense because of Johnson’s ability to lean on two-tight end sets while also resetting the financial clock at the position in the long-term, taking the Penn State playmaker could be an ideal outcome for Chicago.

Warren, 6-foot-6 and 256 pounds boasts the versatility of lining up all over the field, as well, to create mismatches in the slot, as an in-line tight end, or even in two-back sets.

However, perhaps more importantly than his potential infusion of production and space creation for the Bears’ other weapons, taking Warren would allow Chicago to get younger and cheaper at the position with a potential talent upgrade, to continue investing in other positions as this accelerated rebuild continues.