Chicago Bears: 3 Breakout players who will emerge in 2021

The Chicago Bears open up their 2021 season in primetime but, for the whole year, these players could take up some of the national spotlight. 

The regular season is finally here! The Chicago Bears open their regular season this week on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. As with every team in the NFL at this time of year, hope is high. Despite problems up and down the roster, reality still won’t hit.

The Bears have made a number of roster moves even after the “final” cuts made last week. That is usually a sign of a team with a weak roster. The front office keeps looking for additions after submitting their official roster.

Those teams end up with players like Rodney Adams. Adams played his heart out to make the team and accomplished his goal — for exactly one day. The next day the Bears cut him. He eventually made it to the team’s practice squad, however.

Every season, there are a few players on a team that put everything together. Things just fall in place and they have a terrific season. They break out and show how good they really are. Some of them may have had good seasons, but not enough to receive attention outside their home team. Then, suddenly (at least to a national audience), these players make a name for themselves.

Here are three Chicago Bears players who will break out in 2021.

3. Cole Kmet, Tight End

The Chicago Bears selected tight end Cole Kmet with the 43rd pick of the 2020 draft. They did so even though they also signed veteran Jimmy Graham.

After starting out slowly, Kmet became a bigger part of the offense. He saw more snaps and performed better. In his first 11 games, he was targeted just 14 times (11 catches) for 94 yards and one touchdown. In his final five games, however, those numbers rose to 30 targets (20 catches) for 149 yards and a touchdown.

Kmet spent the offseason trying to improve his game. He attended Tight End University, a camp run by Greg Olsen, Travis Kelce, and George Kittle. The camp brought together some of the up-and-coming tight ends to receive lessons from some of the top veterans on how to play better.

Kmet came into camp in a more confident matter. He did well in camp and made some good plays. We didn’t get to see him in action in the preseason games, though. Being a starter, there wasn’t any reason to play him. He’ll go into the season as the top tight end. Graham is still there, mentoring Kmet. That just adds to Kmet’s learning curve.

If the Bears’ passing game improves with Andy Dalton and Justin Fields at the helm, Kmet will take a big step forward. The Bears added speed so the passing downfield should be better. With that happening, Kmet should have plenty of space to operate. He’ll be a great target, especially in the red zone. He’ll open a lot of eyes in 2021.