Chicago Bears fans have been more than patient with rookie first round pick tight end Colston Loveland, but it's starting to wear thin.
Loveland has not had the most ideal first season in the NFL with some of it out of his control. Bears head coach Ben Johnson has been on record with saying that he wants to get his tight ends more involved in the offense. Loveland's hip injury cost him the Las Vegas Raiders game as well, so his development has been behind.
So far on the season, Loveland has caught eight passes for 78 yards in five games. Not exactly encouraging numbers from a guy who was a top 10 pick.
More is to come from the rookie tight end for the Bears
Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle spoke with the media, where he praised the tight end. Doyle shared the traits that made him a first-round pick.
“He’s a plus receiver, he’s friendly to throw to, he’s a big target.”
If Bears fans are looking for any kind of encouragement for whether Loveland can be the real deal, Johnson backed up his word for more involvement of the tight ends in the passing game. In their 26-14 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 7, Loveland had a career-high in receptions with three that went for 24 yards, the second-highest of his career. The rookie also showed off his blocking skills, which caught a lot of Bears analysts' attention.
Entering their Week 8 showdown with the Baltimore Ravens, Loveland's role just increased with Cole Kmet being ruled out of the game with a back injury, the first missed game of his career. This will put Loveland in the spotlight as the number one tight end and could be one of Caleb Williams' primary targets in the game.
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Bears fans will be watching Loveland throughout the game to truly see if he is the real deal or if general manager Ryan Poles has yet another miss in the NFL Draft.