Cole Kmet excited for pads to go on in Bears training camp

The Chicago Bears were off on Sunday, having wrapped up their first week of training camp.

Things really start to ramp up when the pads go on for the first time on Monday — a prospect about which blocking tight end Cole Kmet is excited.

Kmet was only targeted 48 times, with 30 catches and two touchdowns last year.

But he said he just wants to keep helping the team win in year two under head coach Ben Johnson.

"It's a different feel to camp than maybe in years past. You know, I've spent a lot of my career kind of wondering what's next, and you know, how is tomorrow going to go, and I feel like I kind of know what to expect," Kmet said. "It's nice coming in, getting ready for a season, you know, understanding how you fit in the scheme of things and also the direction of this offense, and where we want it to go, and the identity that we want to forge."

This year, Coach Johnson said he is excited to build on last year's success, after the Bears went 11-6 to win the NFC North, and beat the archrival Green Bay Packers in the wild card round.