Fresh off a dominant rookie campaign, tight end Colston Loveland is primed to have a bigger impact in 2026. Here is what Loveland's position coach said about the Chicago Bears' playmaker.
Colston Loveland understands that going into Year 2 he will get more attention from opposing defenses than he did a season ago.
“I wouldn't want it any other way, obviously," Loveland said back in April. "It means I'm doing something right. I have to continue to do that. But like I said, we’ve got weapons, so whether you want to focus in on one dude or not, there are weapons all over.”
The 6-foot-6, 241-pound tight end became a reliable target for Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in Year 1 of coach Ben Johnson's offense, finishing with the most receiving yards (713), receptions (58) and tied for the most touchdowns (6) on the team.
Going into his second year in the NFL and another season in the offense, Loveland doesn't have to focus on learning the playbook. He knows the system and has a far greater head start now than where he was at this time last year.
It's safe to say that expectations are high for the former No. 10 overall pick, and Loveland could be in store for an even more productive year in 2026. Bears tight ends coach Jim Dray weighed in on that assessment.
“I’m sure that from the outside looking in that you could see it trending in that direction," Dray told reporters on Thursday. "But he definitely came on pretty strong late in the season after a slower start, but in terms of a guy working at his craft and knowing that he hasn’t achieved anything yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s even better next year [2026]. That’s certainly his hope and our hope.”
Through the first six games last season, Loveland caught just 11 passes for 116 yards. The he had his breakout game against the Cincinnati Bengals, making six receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns, including the 58-yard score that secured the Bears' 47-42 road win.
Since that Week 8 game against the Bengals, Loveland caught 47 passes for 597 yards and six touchdowns in the final 10 games of the regular season.
“He didn’t have much of an offseason and so most of the work that he got was in training camp in game weeks, so once he started to feel more comfortable and the quarterback felt comfortable with him, you could see that his role expanded because he plays the game the right way and he’s productive," Dray said. "So he’s certainly a guy that you would like to have do more all the time.”
In the playoffs against the Green Bay Packers, Loveland ended with eight receptions for 137 yards and caught a two-point conversion to help the Bears knock out their NFC North rival with the 31-27 win at Soldier Field.
The Bears will have a target on their backs and so will Loveland this upcoming season, but that's just the standard for a rising team and a tight end determined to create even more noise in 2026.
