New data has been unveiled to fuel Colston Loveland's 2026 outlook

After a four-game stretch to close his rookie season that put him in some heady company among tight ends in NFL history over a sample size like that, the wheels are all the way up for Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland heading toward his second season.

There may be a point where the hype exceeds the comfortable reality of what Loveland will do in Year 2, but Ben Johnson clearly has no interest in reducing the expectations around his first draft pick as a head coach.

"He’s one of the most consistent players I’ve ever been around, and that’s saying a lot," Johnson said during minicamp. "I'm really happy with where he is at right now. We are able to take the route tree to the next level."

When we look back on the 2026 season, Loveland may have taken his place among the NFL's best tight ends until further notice.

Another piece of evidence to prove Colston Loveland's upside for 2026

Not that anyone necessarily needs another piece of evidence to prove Loveland's upside for this season, but Pro Football Network has unveiled one anyway.

A piece of advanced data like this can be taken in different ways, depending on the player. It can be seen as evidence that regression is coming, or as a sign of untapped upside.

We know where Loveland sits on that spectrum.

According to Sumer Sports, Loveland ran the 17th-most routes among tight ends last season (391). He was also second in yards per route run (1.82) and tied for sixth in targets per route run (0.21) among tight ends with at least 250 routes run. That proficiency could naturally erode with an expected notable increase in volume, but that can also be somewhat offset by said volume.

Despite a tepid start to his rookie season, Loveland had a team-high 14 red zone targets. Two others who had more than 10 red zone targets for the Bears last season, Olamide Zaccheaus (12) and DJ Moore (11), are, of course, gone. Those targets can only viably go so many other places this year, and Loveland is arguably first in line to soak up that extra scoring area volume.

Read more: Bears built powerhouse position group right under NFL's nose

Any way it can be broken down, Loveland is lined up for a big second season. If his touchdown upside somehow fell below the radar compared to everything else, that is not the case anymore.

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