Skip to main content
Advertising

ChicagoBears.com | The Official Website of the Chicago Bears

Kmet, Moore fired up about Bears bolstering offense

kmet-moore-040424

No one is more amped about the Bears adding three key skill position players to their offense this offseason than their new teammates.

That was evident recently when tight end Cole Kmet and receiver DJ Moore spoke to ChicagoBears.com about the acquisitions of receiver Keenan Allen, tight end Gerald Everett and running back D'Andre Swift.

The Bears dealt a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Chargers in exchange for Allen, a six-time Pro Bowler who has caught 904 passes for 10,530 yards and 59 touchdowns in 11 NFL seasons. Last year the 6-2, 211-pounder led the league with a career-high and franchise-record 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven TDs despite missing the final four games with a heel injury.

"I got to meet Keenan a couple years back briefly at [Chargers quarterback] Justin Herbert's golf event in Oregon and he's a super good dude," Kmet said. "He's been doing it at a very high level for a really long time. The way he runs his routes, he's so crafty and he does it at an elite level, and that's why he's been able to do it for such a long time."

With Allen's addition, the Bears are the only NFL team with two receivers who both compiled at least 1,200 yards last season. Allen finished 11th with 1,243 yards, while Moore was sixth with a career-high 1,364 yards.

"It's a lose-lose for the defense," Moore said. "One dude has done it longer and one is right behind him, still learning the game but understands it."

Asked what he appreciates most about Allen's game, Moore said: "The way he goes about his releases and the way he gets open. It's just different. It's effortless and smooth. He's done it before and done it for many years."

“It looks like we could have a pretty explosive offense coming up here in 2024.” Bears TE Cole Kmet

While Moore and Allen will team at receiver, Kmet and Everett should form a dangerous duo at tight end. Everett joins the Bears after spending his first seven NFL seasons with the Rams (2017-20), Seahawks (2021) and Chargers (2022-23), catching 284 passes for 2,833 yards and 19 TDs in 107 games. Last year he had 51 receptions for 411 yards and three touchdowns.

Everett will reunite in Chicago with three assistant coaches, having worked with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron with the Rams and Seahawks, passing game coordinator Thomas Brown with the Rams and receivers coach Chris Beatty with the Chargers.

"[Everett] is really familiar with the offense and with Shane, going back to L.A.," Kmet said. "He's a good pass-catching tight end, very athletic, good at yards per catch. We're looking forward to getting to work with him and play with him. That should be a good 1-2 punch at tight end."

What stands out most to Kmet about Everett's game is how physical the 6-3, 245-pounder is after the catch.

"He's a relentless player in that regard," Kmet said. "He's tough to bring down, and that brings a lot of juice to an offense when guys do that. That's something that I try to predicate my game on as well is being tough to bring down and being physical with the ball in my hands, and he does that well. He's also a very explosive athlete."

Check out the Bears' home and away matchups for the 2024 season. (Photos via Chicago Bears, NFL and AP)

Swift arrives after appearing in 56 NFL games with 31 starts for the Lions (2020-22) and Eagles (2023), rushing for 2,779 yards and 23 touchdowns on 593 carries and catching 195 passes for 1,412 yards and eight TDs.

Swift was selected by Detroit with the third pick in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Georgia. The 5-9, 215-pounder played in 40 games with 16 starts over three seasons with the Lions, rushing for 1,680 yards and 18 TDs on 364 attempts and catching 156 passes for 1,198 yards and one TD.

"He can really do everything," Kmet said. "He's able to be an explosive back in the pass game and in the run game as well and is familiar with that outside zone scheme. That should bode really well for us. He should be a good plug-and-play back who frees everyone up. When you've got a running back that can come out of the backfield and run choice routes and option routes and all those things, that can be really beneficial to an offense."

Having added three impactful skill position players, the Bears no doubt will pose problems for opposing defenses this season.

"It looks like we could have a pretty explosive offense coming up here in 2024," Kmet said.

"I still think we'll be able to establish ourselves in the run game, so when you've got that going with all the different pass options, it makes it very difficult for a defense. If they're going to play cover-two, I think we'll be able to run the ball really well just like we've done in the past. And if they decide to go single safety, they can't cover everybody. So there will be a lot of great options there, and I'm really excited about that."

Advertising