I don’t think I’ve ever had a tight end this high on my 10 Most Important Chicago Bears list. Then again, the Bears have never had a tight end of Colston Loveland’s caliber since I’ve been writing about the beloved.
Loveland can line up anywhere on the field, and he can do anything a Y tight end can do and anything an F tight end can do. He unlocks so much in Ben Johnson’s offense because of that, and The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen recently named him one of the ten most versatile players in the NFL.
The
era of the tight end is upon us. Even blocking tight ends are getting paid, and a slew of them got drafted in the second and third rounds of this year’s draft. However, there are a select few who are good to elite at both blocking and receiving. For a while, George Kittle was the only tight end truly elite at both. Colston Loveland is poised to take that title.
Loveland started slowly last year due to offseason shoulder rehab, and in his first four games as a pro, he had only 5 catches for 54 yards. That was around the time opposing fan bases tried to question Chicago taking the 21-year-old at 10 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
As a rookie in 16 regular season games, Loveland led the Bears in receptions (58), receiving yards (713), and was tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns (6).
In the playoffs, he set a rookie and tight end franchise record with 137 receiving yards in the Wildcard win over Green Bay. His combined 193 receiving yards in the two postseason games set a new NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie tight end in NFL playoff history.
“Throughout league circles, optimism abounds that Colston Loveland’s arrow is pointing up,” The Athletic’s Dan Wiederer wrote last month, “Additionally, the Bears tight end has impressed everyone inside Halas Hall with his combination of talent and drive.”
With a full offseason to work with quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears offense, he’s set up for a much faster start.
“This offseason has been full tilt,” head coach Ben Johnson said about Loveland before veteran minicamp via the team’s site. “I love what he brings to the table. He’s one of the most consistent players I’ve been around, and that’s saying a lot for a young guy, because I think it takes a while before guys can truly understand what it means to be a professional. But he’s in early, he’s always in his playbook, he’s always taking notes. I think he really thrives with being available in the pressure moments. That’s the type of guy that he wants to be.”
Loveland was just named to the CBS Sports Top 25 NFL players age 25 and under list, and while he just snuck in at number 25, he is also the youngest player on the list, and seeing as how he just turned 22 in April, he has a few more years to climb up the ranks.
I’m in full agreement with CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan when he wrote that Loveland is” primed to leap into superstardom during his sophomore season in 2026.”
