Bears face tough question after Cole Kmet's season-ending injury

The Chicago Bears pulled off a win over the New England Patriots on Thursday, 30-24. Quarterback Caleb Williams had a solid performance in his second game back after dealing with an injury.

The game, however, brought a new injury for beloved tight end Cole Kmet, who was hurt later in the game and exited with no sign of returning.

On Friday, head coach Ben Johnson confirmed that Kmet would be out for the entire season and placed him on injured reserve. It's a blow to this offense because, even though Kmet wasn't the highest-profile Bears offensive player, he's been an invaluable part of this team. He's provided a real complement to Colston Loveland on the field.

So, the question facing the Bears is simple: Who's going to replace Kmet?

Ben Johnson has options to help the Chicago Bears replace Cole Kmet

On Friday, Johnson discussed "Stephen Carlson and Qadir Ismail as options to replace Kmet on the roster alongside Colston Loveland and rookie Sam Roush," Alyssa Barbieri of The Bears Wire noted. 

Barbieri added that undrafted rookie Hayden Large would also be an option, but he's on injured reserve, so he'll be another name to consider when he's able to return.

Johnson also talked about Roush stepping in and getting real playing time as a rookie. During his college career, he caught 119 passes for 1,201 yards and four touchdowns over four years. Those aren't numbers that will set the world on fire, but Johnson said he's showing real promise.

"We've been very pleased with the improvement he's made over the first few weeks," Johnson said of Roush. "He had some rookie hiccups, as everybody does, but he doesn't make the same mistake twice. We'll be able to see the player that we drafted. We had high hopes when we took him. I'm confident in what he's going to be able to do for us back half of the season."