After a record-breaking rookie campaign and the departure of D.J. Moore, Chicago’s reliable "safety valve" is poised to shatter conservative estimates in Ben Johnson’s high-powered offense.
The Chicago Bears used the 10th overall pick on Colston Loveland in the 2025 NFL Draft.
It's clear that General Manager Ryan Poles was going for the best player available at the time, and it paid off.
With the Michigan Wolverines, Loveland never compiled more than 700 receiving yards in a single season. In just his first year with the Bears, he led the team with 713 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
His best performances of the year were arguably against the Cincinnati Bengals in the regular season and the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.
Loveland had the go-ahead touchdown in a back-and-forth thriller at Paycor Stadium. He finished that game with 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Then, he saved his next best performance for the postseason. After being down 21-3 in the fourth quarter, the Bears won 31-27 to eliminate the Packers from the playoffs. Loveland played a big part in the Bears moving the chains throughout the game and ended the night with 137 receiving yards.
Now, he enters year two in the NFL after a dominant rookie season.
ESPN's Mike Clay projected the stats of every key player on every NFL team. He predicted that Loveland would have 898 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
This is an upgrade from his numbers last season, but it still feels a little low. Loveland is definitely capable of posting better numbers for several reasons.
Here are my three reasons why I think Loveland can produce better numbers than Clay is projecting:
The Loveland-Williams Connection
For one, the connection between Loveland and Caleb Williams isn't going anywhere. Loveland earned the nickname "3rd and Colston" from Kevin Byard last season for a reason.
He was the safety valve for his quarterback whenever the team needed to pick up crucial third- or fourth-down conversions.
If anything, Williams will definitely be looking for Loveland even more compared to his rookie year after seeing how reliable he can be last season.
The D.J. Moore Trade
The Bears also traded away D.J. Moore this offseason, sending him to the Buffalo Bills for a second-round pick. Chicago added Kalif Raymond and drafted Zavion Thomas out of LSU. Still, the former Detroit Lion is now 31 years old and expected to be more of a returner, and Thomas is an unproven rookie.
Loveland may benefit from the pair having to get accustomed to the offense. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden have already been in the system, but outside of them, there aren't any receivers experienced with Johnson's playbook.
Another Year in the Ben Johnson Offense
Speaking of Ben Johnson's offense, that's another reason that Loveland could have an even bigger jump in 2026. Loveland begins his second year in the system, which definitely gives him a leg up.
We saw how much the passing game benefited from a solid running game. Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift helped Williams and the passing attack flourish. He nearly became the franchise's first 4,000-yard passer in the first year of Johnson's offense.
Neither Odunze, Burden nor Moore was able to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in 2025. What's the say that Loveland can't achieve the feat as one of the best tight ends in the NFL?
Loveland is absolutely capable of having this kind of season after one year in the Bears' offense under Johnson.
