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Notre Dame in the NFL: Cole Kmet scores twice and snaps for Bears

IMG_7504by:Jack Soble•10/15/24•

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Cole kmet
Former Notre Dame and current Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)

Former Notre Dame and current Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet stood on the sideline on Sunday morning at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London when he received surprising news from special teams coordinator Richard Hightower.

“Hey Cole, Scott’s hurt,” Hightower said, according to Chicago Sun-Times reporter Jason Lieser.

“Tyler Scott?” Kmet responded, referring to a reserve wide receiver.

“No, Scott Daly. You have to snap.”

“Oh,” Kmet said, realizing what that meant. “Oh, s***.”

Daly, a fellow Notre Dame alum and the Bears’ primary long snapper, had suffered a knee injury. Kmet is the Bears’ emergency long snapper, so in he went. He did his job perfectly, snapping 6 times without a botch. But that’s not all.

Kmet also caught 5 passes for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns helping the Bears beat the Jaguars 35-16.

Kmet is up to 26 receptions on 29 targets this season for 289 yards — which ranks third in the NFL among tight ends — and 3 touchdowns. Tight ends are often valuable security blankets for rookie quarterbacks, and Kmet has become one of No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams‘ favorite targets as the Bears enter their Week 7 bye at 4-2.

Here’s how every other former Notre Dame football player in the NFL did in Week 6.

Joe Alt (played at Notre Dame from 2021-23), OL, Los Angeles Chargers

Result: 23-16 win over Broncos

Alt allowed 1 pressure and finished with a 72.1 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade.

Brandon Aubrey (2013-16), K, Dallas Cowboys

Result: 47-9 loss to Lions

Aubrey made 3-of-3 field goals with a long of 50, extending his NFL-record streak of regular-season games with a 50-plus-yard field goal to eight.

Aaron Banks (2017-20), OL, San Francisco 49ers

Result: 36-24 win over Seahawks

Banks allowed 4 pressures, including a QB hit, and posted a 64.3 PFF offense grade.

JD Bertrand (2019-23), LB, Atlanta Falcons

Result: 38-20 win over Panthers

In rotational linebacker reps, Bertrand made 1 tackle.

Scott Daly (2012-16), LS, Chicago Bears

Result: 35-16 win over Jaguars

Daly snapped twice successfully, both on punts. His knee injury is considered “week to week,” per NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, and it’s possible he returns after Chicago’s Week 7 bye.

Liam Eichenberg (2016-20), OL, Miami Dolphins

Result: BYE

Audric Estimé (2021-23), RB, Denver Broncos

Result: 23-16 loss to Chargers

Making his return from a month-long injured reserve stint, Estimé carried twice for 13 yards.

Blake Fisher (2021-23), OT, Houston Texans

Result: 41-21 win over Patriots

Fisher played 16 reserve snaps, allowed 1 pressure and finished with an 82.0 PFF run-blocking grade.

Isaiah Foskey (2019-22), DE, New Orleans Saints

Result: 51-27 loss to Buccaneers

Foskey played 32 special-teams snaps.

Alohi Gilman (2017-19), S, Los Angeles Chargers

Result: 23-16 win over Broncos

Gilman made a season-high 10 tackles, including a sack, and defended a pass.

Blake Grupe (2022), K, New Orleans Saints

Result: 51-27 loss to Buccaneers

Grupe made both his field-goal attempts, with a long of 42.

Robert Hainsey (2017-20), OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Result: 51-27 win over Saints

Hainsey made his first start of the season and played well, allowing no pressures and earning an 81.0 pass-blocking grade.

Kyle Hamilton (2019-2021), S, Baltimore Ravens

Result: 30-23 win over Commanders

Hamilton did a bit of everything: 4 tackles (including 2 defensive stops), 2 pressures (including a QB hit) and lockdown coverage, allowing only 1 catch for 4 yards.

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Thomas Harper (2023), DB, Las Vegas Raiders

Result: 32-13 loss to Steelers

Harper played 23 snaps on special teams, making 1 tackle, and 5 on defense.

Cam Hart (2019-2023), CB, Los Angeles Chargers

Result: 23-16 win over Broncos

Hart made his first career start, posting 3 tackles. He was not targeted in coverage.

J.J. Jansen (2004-07), LS, Carolina Panthers

Result: 38-20 loss to Falcons

Jansen snapped 7 times successfully, although he was penalized (holding) for the first time since 2021.

Javontae Jean-Baptiste (2023), DE, Washington Commanders

Result: 30-23 loss to Ravens

Jean-Baptiste made 2 tackles and posted a QB pressure.

Brandon Joseph (2022), S, Detroit Lions

Result: 47-9 win over Cowboys

Joseph played 18 defensive snaps but did not make the stat sheet.

Marist Liufau (2019-23), LB, Dallas Cowboys

Result: 47-9 loss to Lions

Liufau made 2 tackles, including a defensive stop.

Julian Love (2016-18), DB, Seattle Seahawks

Result: 36-24 loss to 49ers

Love made 10 tackles, his third double-digit performance this season. Four of them were defensive stops, and he also defended a pass.

Zack Martin (2009-13), OL, Dallas Cowboys

Result: 47-9 loss to Lions

Martin allowed 7 pressures and was given a PFF pass-blocking grade of 0.0.

Nick McCloud (2020), CB, New York Giants

Result: 17-7 loss to Bengals

McCloud played 14 snaps on special teams and made 1 tackle.

Quenton Nelson (2014-17), OL, Indianapolis Colts

Result: 20-17 win over Titans

Nelson allowed 2 pressures and finished with an 81.7 PFF offense grade — but that’s only his fourth-highest this season. The former sixth overall pick out of Notre Dame has been as dominant as ever in Year 7.

Adekunbo Ogundeji (2016-20), EDGE, Pittsburgh Steelers

Result: 32-13 win over Raiders

Ogundeji was called up from the Steelers’ practice squad due to injuries at his position and made his 2024 debut, tallying 2 quarterback hurries. He was released shortly after the game but will likely return to the practice squad.

Julian Okwara (2016-19), EDGE, Arizona Cardinals

Result: 34-13 loss to Packers

Okwara made 1 tackle, notched a quarterback hit and broke up a pass in coverage.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (2017-20), LB, Browns

Result: 20-16 loss to Eagles

Owusu-Koramoah screamed around the edge for a sack. The former Notre Dame rover also made 8 tackles and broke up a pass.

Jarrett Patterson (2018-22), OL, Houston Texans

Result: 41-21 win over Patriots

Patterson played 8 snaps on special teams.

Harrison Smith (2007-11), S, Minnesota Vikings

Result: BYE

Durham Smythe (2013-17), TE, Miami Dolphins

Result: BYE

Jerry Tillery (2015-18), DL, Minnesota Vikings

Result: BYE

Drue Tranquill (2014-18), LB, Kansas City Chiefs

Result: BYE

Tommy Tremble (2018-20), TE, Carolina Panthers 

Result: 38-20 loss to Falcons

Tremble missed Week 6 with a concussion. Adding insult to injury, he was fined $17,083 for lowering his head on the hit that concussed both himself and Bears safety Jaquan Brisker.

Kyren Williams (2019-21), RB, Los Angeles Rams

Result: BYE

Brock Wright (2017-20), TE, Detroit Lions

Result: 47-9 win over Cowboys

Wright did not catch his lone target.

Former Notre Dame football players on injured reserve

Former Notre Dame football players on the reserve/non-football illness list

Mayer has missed three games for personal reasons, and now he must miss three more after the latest roster move.

Former Notre Dame players on NFL practice squads

Hartman — the lone former Notre Dame quarterback in the NFL — was released last week but re-signed to the Commanders’ practice squad.

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