​I don’t recall ever ranking a tight end this high on my 10 Most Important Chicago Bears list, but Colston Loveland has changed that dynamic. Since I’ve been chronicling the beloved, the Bears have never had a tight end whose ceiling matches Loveland’s. He’s a player who can line up anywhere on the field and do anything a traditional Y tight end can do, while also handling responsibilities that a modern F tight end typically manages. His versatility unlocks so much for Ben Johnson’s offense, a point The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen underscored when he recently named Loveland one of the NFL’s ten most versatile players.
The tight end era is indeed here. Even the blocking tight ends are commanding salaries, and a wave of them landed in the second and third rounds of this year’s draft. Yet a select few excel at both blocking and receiving, and for a long stretch George Kittle stood as the standard for dual-threat excellence. Loveland appears ready to take that title.
Loveland began last season slowly while rehabbing a shoulder issue, posting just five receptions for 54 yards over his first four games. That slow start coincided with some fans questioning Chicago’s decision to draft the 21-year-old at No. 10 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Yet as a rookie across 16 regular-season games, he led the Bears in receptions (58) and receiving yards (713), and he was tied for the team lead with six receiving touchdowns. In the playoffs, Loveland shattered a rookie-tight end record, piling up 137 receiving yards in the Wild Card win over Green Bay. His combined 193 receiving yards in the two postseason games set a new NFL playoff record for a rookie tight end.
“Throughout league circles, optimism abounds that Colston Loveland’s arrow is pointing up,” The Athletic’s Dan Wiederer wrote recently, “Additionally, the Bears’ tight end has impressed everyone inside Halas Hall with his combination of talent and drive.” With a full offseason to develop alongside quarterback Caleb Williams and the rest of the Bears’ offense, Loveland is positioned for a noticeably quicker start.
Head coach Ben Johnson noted the offseason’s intensity in his assessment of Loveland before veteran minicamp: “This offseason has been full tilt. 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 on being available in the pressure moments. That’s the type of guy that he wants to be.”
Loveland’s ascent has earned him a place on CBS Sports’ Top 25 NFL players age 25 and under list, where he just squeezed in at No. 25. He’s also the youngest on the list, having just turned 22 in April, which means he has several years ahead to climb higher. I share CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan’s view that Loveland is primed to leap—an impression supported by the trajectory he’s already shown and the way he’s grown into a central figure for the Bears’ offense.