There are big expectations entering Year 2 for Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland after putting up some big numbers late in the 2025 season.
It was a very slow start for Loveland, but he ended up the team's leading receiver with 713 yards and six touchdowns. Bleacher Report writer Alex Kay is calming everyone's expectations in the Windy City as he placed Loveland under the "slump" category for NFL players entering their second season in the NFL.
"Loveland may seem like an obvious candidate to see a massive increase over the 82 looks he logged as a rookie, but he probably won't become a target hog in a Ben Johnson-led offense. During his three-year tenure as the rival Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator, only one tight end—Sam LaPorta during his breakout 2023 rookie season—saw more than 83 targets in a season. Even after Moore's exit, Chicago's head coach is more likely to task quarterback Caleb Williams with spreading the ball around relatively evenly throughout his remaining crop of pass-catchers rather than allocating a majority of those vacated looks to a single candidate. Johnson deploys a system that leans heavily into two- or three-tight end sets, having utilized plenty of 12 and 13 personnel even before his organization onboarded another talented tight end in the form of rookie Day 2 pick Sam Roush. With Cole Kmet still lingering around and Roush poised for some action—along with a projected uptick in looks for both Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III—Loveland looks to be in line for another solid yet unspectacular campaign. Don't count on Loveland having a major sophomore slump, but it's quite possible the second-year tight end fails to even surpass his rookie marks as he plays a familiar role in 2026."
Is Colston Loveland about to have a letdown of a 2026 season?
Even late in the season, Williams saw Loveland as his number one target in the passing game. Loveland was getting 10 or more targets in the last four games of the regular season and postseason combined.
The departure of Moore should open the passing game up for Loveland to get more targets. That wide receiver room is in a bit of a transition period with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III stepping up as the top receivers, but there isn't a clear WR3 on the team at the moment.
Even with Kmet and Roush there, they are not going to be as involved in the passing game as some think. Kmet saw a massive decrease in targets in 2025, and Roush will be used more in run-blocking situations.
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The chances of Loveland not being able to at least match the numbers of 2026 seem unlikely since Williams found comfort in throwing it to his young tight end. Bears fans should expect to see better numbers from Loveland in 2026, but if he doesn't, that might not be a good thing for the team.
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