Bears Are Ready to Unleash Colston Loveland in Year 2

The Chicago Bears may have already found one of the NFL’s next elite tight ends in Colston Loveland.

Loveland already had an impressive rookie season, leading the Bears with 58 receptions, 713 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He became the first Chicago rookie to lead the team in receiving yards since Willie Gault in 1983 and the first rookie tight end to accomplish the feat since Hall of Famer Mike Ditka in 1961.

Now Loveland heads into Year 2 with much bigger expectations. And based on what has been coming out of training camp, it looks like the Bears are ready to put even more on his plate in 2026.

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Loveland has already shown what he can become

Colston Loveland missed the Chicago Bears’ offseason program and the start of training camp last year while recovering from shoulder surgery. That showed early in the season, as he averaged just 1.8 catches and 19.3 receiving yards per game through his first six games and didn’t score a touchdown.

Then things started to click.

Loveland caught six passes for 94 yards and a touchdown against San Francisco, followed by a 10 catch, 91 yard performance with another touchdown against Detroit.

He carried that momentum into the playoffs, catching eight passes for 137 yards in Chicago’s comeback win over Green Bay as the Bears wiped an 18 point deficit – He finished the postseason with 193 receiving yards in just two games.

Now heading into Year 2, he knows the offense. He knows Caleb Williams, and he knows what Ben Johnson expects from him. But most importantly, he finally had a full offseason to develop.

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The Bears are giving Loveland more to work with

Colston Loveland was already dangerous as a rookie while working within a relatively limited preparation window. Giving him a larger route tree could allow Johnson to move him around the formation and create more opportunities for him against different matchups. The Bears clearly understand what they have.

There is also another major factor working in Loveland’s favor: DJ Moore is gone.

Chicago traded Moore to Buffalo during the offseason, leaving more opportunities available in the passing game. Sure the Bears still have Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III, Cole Kmet and other weapons, but Loveland has already proven that he can become a focal point of this offense.

Ben Johnson has even discussed the challenge of maximizing all of those young playmakers, specifically mentioning Loveland alongside Odunze and Burden. That could make Loveland extremely difficult for defenses to handle.

If opponents devote too much attention to him, Caleb Williams has other talented receivers to attack. If they don’t, Loveland has already shown that he can punish them.

Now something in the realm of a 1,000 yard season may sound like a bit of a lofty goal for a tight end entering his second year, but Loveland has already shown enough to make the idea realistic…

The Chicago Bears may finally be ready to unleash the version of Colston Loveland they envisioned when they made him the No. 10 overall pick.

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