From the moment the Chicago Bears selected tight end Colston Loveland in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the team knew there was a high-risk, high-reward aspect to selecting him.
The Bears were aware of his shoulder injury, which would cause him to miss time during the offseason workouts. Once he gets healthy, though, Chicago is going to get a guy who can be the perfect complement to Cole Kmet in the tight end room.
There's no question that Loveland is going to get playing time with the Bears in 2025. It's a matter of figuring out how much he will play on the field for Chicago.
What will Loveland's role be in 2025?
Bleacher Report writer Brent Sobleski examined each rookie's buzz and predictions that involved injuries. Loveland is being viewed as a solid offensive weapon for Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and a reliable second option in the passing game.
"Colston Loveland suffered an AC joint separation during the 2024 campaign, which forced him to miss two games. Once the season ended, he required surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder and reconstruct the AC joint capsule.
The Chicago Bears still selected Loveland with this year's 10th overall pick and made him TE1 in the class. The latter shouldn't have come as a surprise. The Bleacher Report Scouting Department graded Loveland as the class' top option.
But the Michigan product is still not on the field due to the aforementioned injury. Loveland expects to be back practicing by the start of training camp. So far, he's taken mental reps and been consistently involved in the installation process.
Chicago still has veteran Cole Kmet on the roster, so the team doesn't need to rush Loveland onto the field. At the same time, he's a top-10 pick and potential big-time threat. Once he's on the field, he can quickly develop into quarterback Caleb Williams' security blanket."
Loveland broke a Michigan school record for a tight end last year with 56 receptions and added 582 yards and five touchdowns. He was a finalist for the John Mackey Award for the nation's top tight end.
His shoulder injury kept him from working out with the team at OTAs and minicamp, but he was still there taking mental reps. While his new head coach, Ben Johnson, knew the importance of missing that time on the field, Loveland still believes he will be back on the field by the beginning of training camp.
There's no question that Loveland will be well involved in the offense, but he most likely won't be a starter. By the end of the year, he could be splitting time with Kmet at tight end, or the Bears could use a lot of two-tight end sets to help in the running game, or send both Kmet and Loveland out for routes.
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Having that kind of freedom with play calling is part of the reason Johnson and Bears general manager Ryan Poles selected Loveland. He can do so much in this offense to help improve it and give Williams a reliable target to throw to.
The Bears are looking to take a significant step in the right direction offensively in 2025, and Loveland will play a part in that. He needs to focus on getting healthy first and show it on the field.