When the Bears selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland in the first round of the 2025 draft, some saw it as a sign Cole Kmet's days in Chicago were numbered.

Others believed it to be the beginning of a beautiful tandem under the direction of coach Ben Johnson. But what most overlooked was the idea of how Loveland's addition might be received by Kmet, a talented tight end who has had to overcome plenty of adversity (including instability at quarterback) during his time in Chicago.

It seems he wasn't exactly pleased with the decision, but understands it better now, Nick Shook of NFL.com reports.

"I think at first, you're taken aback a little bit," Kmet said, per team transcript. "But Ben (Johnson) was awesome about it in terms of calling me right away explaining the decision. From there you're just all on board and you understand their vision. You understand that there's going to be areas where we complement each other, then there's obviously -- just like an any position room -- there's going to be areas where we compete for things.

"That's football and that's how it should be. 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."

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