Editor’s note: We’re doing some different things to keep the Bears conversation going during the slowest part of the NFL calendar, during the summer just before training camp. We’re doing some roster projections and mailbags and divisional power rankings and now we’re adding some debate to these proceedings. Enter our “Take a Side” series, where we’ll discuss a polarizing topic each Wednesday until the Bears report for camp. Let’s start with a tough one, whether the Bears should consider dealing Cole Kmet.

The Bears just drafted tight end Colston Loveland at No. 10 overall. Grand plans are generally made for talent selected so high, and new head coach/offensive mastermind Ben Johnson certainly has them for the Michigan product.

Does that make incumbent starter Cole Kmet expendable?  Should the Bears trade him? This question isn’t based on previous reporting from NFL sources. It’s simply something to ponder as we move forward, especially with Kmet set to count $11.6 million against the salary cap in each of the next three seasons.

The direct answer is a simple one: No. Not right now.

Here’s why:

Johnson called Kmet shortly after the Bears drafted Loveland. The Bears head coach explained that the veteran had a place in Johnson’s grand offensive plan.

“(He was) just reassuring me of where I stood in their eyes,” Kmet said during Bears minicamp. “We talked at length more about it later. You’re just understanding their vision and their expectations for you as a player. I think having those conversations cleared the air a little bit.”

Johnson has a track record of using 12 personnel a ton — with a running back and two tight ends — including the third-highest mark in the league last year. There should be room for both tight ends to produce and get touches, even if Kmet’s 90-target 2023 season is probably a thing of the past. He’s still a quality receiver with a track record of success who’s in his prime. He can be of great value, even with Loveland here.

That said, Kmet understands that Loveland’s presence will change things.

“You understand that there’s going to be areas where we complement each other, and — just like any position room – there’s going to be areas that we compete for things,” Kmet said. “That’s football and that’s how it should be. So, I’m excited about it — we’re going to make each other better.”

There’s financial factor at play here, as well. Moving Kmet in 2025 comes with a hefty amount of dead money without cap savings.

That means the trade compensation must be really good to even consider it, and it’s doubtful even coming from a tight-end needy team like Pittsburgh.

It’s worth running with the depth and talent Kmet and Loveland provide in working together. Those two could dominate the middle of the field and be an impactful duo, especially with their ability to play in-line, out wide and in the slot. If it works well and those produce big numbers, keep them together.

If not, a move could be made in 2026 or ’27, when the cap savings from Kmet’s departure could help the Bears stay right with the cap.

One more thing, since we’re discussing Kmet. Football is a business and, at it’s core, an unsentimental sport. But there’s something to be said about a great dude and local guy who has gone through so much struggle with the Bears to see the team realize great success. He’ll have to earn a prominent role to get there and prove valuable even after Loveland’s selection, but the leader and captain certainly deserves such a shot after all he’s experienced with the Bears.