Bears rookie TE Colston Loveland proves he’s on an elite trajectory after historic first career playoff performance
This guy is a star in the making for the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears drafted tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft for a reason and the entire team continues to look justified for making that controversial decision.
The Bears saw big-game potential in Loveland’s game and not long after the selection was made, head coach Ben Johnson noted the team needs a player of Loveland’s caliber to achieve the heights the team planned on summiting.
No one imagined that climb would start so soon and that Loveland would be such an integral part of that push during his first season in the NFL. But, that’s the reality, and this guy is finally starting to show he’s on an elite trajectory.
Colston Loveland puts together a historic outing in first career playoff game with the Bears
Saturday’s comeback win over the Green Bay Packers wouldn’t have been possible without the plays Loveland was making out there on Soldier Field. The team’s rookie tight end finished the game with eight receptions for 137 yards and a clutch two-point conversion on 15 targets.
In the biggest moment of the season, Loveland rose to the occasion and continues to show he’s everything the Bears imagined and more.
“We got a homerun with him,” Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said of Loveland after the game. “Everybody goes back to, ‘Why did we get Colston Loveland? Why did we do this? Why do we do that?’ It’s Colston Loveland, you know what I mean? That’s who he is.”
All of that hard work continues to pay off. After a slow start to the season, Loveland has emerged as a primary option in this offense and a trusted target for his quarterback in critical situations, even earning the nickname “Third-and-Colston” from his teammates.
“It did take a little time before we built that trust with him,” head coach Ben Johnson explained. “Little bit of a slower start early in the year and then it’s just kind of picked up and it’s clicked for us. I know Caleb has an immense amount of trust in him.
“He’s one of the first ones in the building every single day, he’s always studying his playbook while he’s eating breakfast, he’s always the last one off the practice field doing the JUGS machine. He’s been the model of consistency, which for a rookie, speaks volumes. As a coaching staff, I know we really believe in him and he’s really just scratching the surface of what he’s going to become.”
That kind of work ethic and drive has warranted the comparison to the legendary Rob Gronkowski and it’s a fitting player to be compared to.
After Saturday’s game, Loveland joined Gronk as the only two tight ends in NFL history to have 10+ targets and 130+ yards in a playoff game at the age of 22 or younger. It’s incredible stuff and shows the kind of career this kid can go on to have in this league.
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