{"id":190771,"date":"2025-07-08T11:29:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T11:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/190771\/"},"modified":"2025-07-08T11:29:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T11:29:10","slug":"what-chicago-bears-rookie-te-needs-to-prove","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/190771\/","title":{"rendered":"What Chicago Bears rookie TE needs to prove"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Chicago Bears raised some eyebrows when they selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland<\/a> with the No. 10 draft pick in April. It wasn\u2019t that Loveland wasn\u2019t deserving of being a top-10 pick but more so the notion that the team had bigger needs at offensive tackle or on the defensive line.<\/p>\n

But the Bears are doing things differently under coach Ben Johnson. The tight end position is a priority.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what Bears fans need to know about Loveland ahead of his rookie season.<\/p>\n

How did he get here?<\/p>\n

Before the draft, many projections had Penn State tight end Tyler Warren rated ahead of Loveland. The two play a different style. In college, Loveland was a surefire weapon in the passing game. Warren earned a reputation of being more of a jack-of-all-trades tight end who could play out of the backfield when needed and block at a high level.<\/p>\n

Penn State used Warren in unique ways, and that led to speculation that Johnson could do the same with Warren in his offense. But Johnson and the Bears made it pretty clear on draft night that Loveland was their preferred tight end. They had the chance to select either player and went with Loveland.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just one part of his game,\u201d general manager Ryan Poles said on draft night. \u201cIt\u2019s really the totality of what he can do for us. But when you turn on the tape, there\u2019s plays being made constantly. (He\u2019s) a guy that you could feel confident going to in critical situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where did he come from?<\/p>\n

Loveland grew up in Gooding, Idaho<\/a>, a small town with a population of about 3,800. His abilities on the football field were apparent from a young age. He racked up absurd receiving statistics at Gooding High School and grew into a tight end\u2019s body. Eventually coaches such as Michigan\u2019s Jim Harbaugh were making the trek to Gooding to recruit him.<\/p>\n

Loveland committed to Michigan and never wavered. He went on to become a key piece on the Wolverines\u2019 2023 national championship team during his sophomore season. Loveland constantly produced in big moments during the title run. His 649 receiving yards that season ranked second on the team.<\/p>\n

His statistical production wasn\u2019t quite the same in 2024, but neither was the Michigan offense, which had a hard time replacing departed quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Loveland caught 56 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns as a junior.<\/p>\n

Why did the Bears draft him?
\n\"RookieRookie tight end Colston Loveland watches from the sideline during Bears rookie camp at Halas Hall on May 9, 2025, in Lake Forest. (Stacey Wescott\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n

The Bears envision Loveland and veteran Cole Kmet emerging as one of the NFL\u2019s best one-two punches at tight end. With Johnson calling the shots on offense, expect the Bears to use two tight ends at a high rate. Johnson made it clear that drafting Loveland was not an indictment on Kmet\u2019s game. He believes the two tight ends can thrive together.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou understand that there\u2019s going to be areas where we complement each other,\u201d Kmet said. \u201cAnd just like any position room, there\u2019s going to be areas that we compete for things. That\u2019s football and that\u2019s how it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loveland will give second-year quarterback Caleb Williams a sizable target in the middle of the field who can make plays on third downs. He runs routes at a high level and his hands are elite. Tight end is a notoriously tough position for rookies adjusting to the NFL, but Loveland comes from a Michigan program that runs a pro-style rushing attack. That could help his transition be a smooth one.<\/p>\n

What his coaches said
\n\"MichiganMichigan tight end Colston Loveland pulls away for a 54-yard touchdown reception against Indiana on Oct. 14, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Paul Sancya\/AP)<\/p>\n

Michigan co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Steve Casula has no doubt Loveland\u2019s skill set will translate to the NFL \u2014 in more ways than one.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this impression or narrative that he\u2019s just a big wideout or he\u2019s just a route runner,\u201d Casula told the Tribune. \u201cHe was just under 6-6, 250 pounds at the combine. He\u2019s plenty big enough to play in-line tight end in the NFL.\u201d<\/p>\n

Loveland\u2019s abilities in the passing game are evident. Casula said Loveland \u201chas the best ball skills of anyone I\u2019ve ever coached.\u201d But Casula believes Loveland\u2019s blocking abilities are underrated.<\/p>\n

When Loveland first started to see the field as a freshman, it was because Michigan wanted to utilize him as a run blocker. His production as a pass catcher didn\u2019t really take off until the second half of that season.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnbelievable, unmeasurable contact strength and power in the run game,\u201d Casula said. \u201cHe\u2019s flexible, he\u2019s got great rhythm to his feet, he plays with good pad level.\u201d<\/p>\n

What he said<\/p>\n

Loveland sat out minicamp and organized team activities this spring as he finished up his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery. The Bears are optimistic he\u2019ll be healthy and ready to go when rookies report for training camp July 19<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During the spring, Loveland was able to participate in film sessions and on-field walk-throughs but couldn\u2019t build chemistry with Williams at game speed.<\/p>\n

Loveland noted that he could lean on Kmet during the spring as someone whose lead he can follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the tight ends have been super helpful, but Cole, that\u2019s a vet right there,\u201d Loveland said. \u201c(He) does everything the right way. Really good at football, really good mentally, really good physically, so he\u2019s a great guy to look up to.\u201d<\/p>\n

What he needs to prove during training camp<\/p>\n

The first step for Loveland will be getting healthy. If he\u2019s fully back from the shoulder injury when camp opens, he should hit the ground running. He said he already has been catching passes in informal settings. The last hurdle is getting his full strength back in the shoulder.<\/p>\n

Beyond health, Loveland needs to show he can adapt quickly to an NFL offense, as both a pass catcher and a blocker. Can he build a rapport with the quarterback in two months of camp and preseason action? Williams won\u2019t throw him the ball if he doesn\u2019t trust him \u2014 and that trust takes time to build.<\/p>\n

His coaches also need to know they can trust him as a blocker. Perhaps the biggest challenge will be adjusting to the level of competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery single snap that he plays,\u201d Casula said, \u201cis going to be against other guys that were like Colston Loveland \u2014 the best wherever they came from.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Chicago Bears raised some eyebrows when they selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the No. 10…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":190772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2070],"tags":[374,32795,1035,1036,692,391,2493,3744,590,7,1012,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-190771","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-bears","8":"tag-bears","9":"tag-bears-training-camp","10":"tag-ben-johnson","11":"tag-caleb-williams","12":"tag-chicago","13":"tag-chicago-bears","14":"tag-chicagobears","15":"tag-cole-kmet","16":"tag-colston-loveland","17":"tag-football","18":"tag-jim-harbaugh","19":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114817386101242946","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}