The future has never looked brighter for the Chicago Bears, but there are still some real questions about the team heading into the 2026 season.
Some of those big questions are mostly pointed towards the defense, but an interesting offensive one probably deserves more attention than it gets. CBS Sports writer Jared Dubin has one big question about the Bears' 2025 draft class going into their second year in the NFL: Can Colston Loveland or Luther Burden III be Caleb Williams' No. 1 target?
"Speaking of guys who topped 2.00 yards per route run, Burden cleared it with relative ease at an incredible 2.71, fourth in the NFL. But he did so on a very small sample of routes. Can he keep that production up as a full-time receiver?
Loveland, meanwhile, finished sixth among tight ends in yards per route and looked like a breakout star over the second half of the campaign. Can either one of these players step up as Caleb Williams' top target now that DJ Moore is out of town?"
Colston Loveland or Luther Burden have to step up to be the number one guy
Loveland was that guy last year for Williams, even though it took until the second half of the season to make it happen. The final results for Loveland in his rookie season were 58 catches for 713 yards and six touchdowns, all three stats either tied for the lead or led the Bears.
Burden was very much the same way, as it took until Rome Odunze's injury in the back part of the schedule for the second-round pick to step up. In 15 games, Burden caught 47 passes for 652 yards and two touchdowns.
With DJ Moore's departure, the Bears need someone to be a consistent number-one receiver for them. Bears fans can't forget that Odunze probably still ends up being the number one target, as he was on pace to get over 1,000 yards before his injury affected his play in the second half of the season.
The reality is that Williams has shown in his first two seasons in the NFL that he doesn't have a top target to throw to. He likes to spread the ball around, and last year was evidence of that as the Bears had their top four receivers between 650 and 715 yards, and three guys tied for the lead with six touchdowns.
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For Bears fans, as long as Burden and Loveland show gradual improvement, they should be set for the future in the franchise, and Williams will be lucky to be surrounded by great talent.
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