Bears’ first-round decision already looks justified, and a perfect storm is brewing for Colston Loveland entering Week 16
The team’s rookie tight end has been incredible these last few weeks.
The Chicago Bears made an eyebrow raising decision when the team selected tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the first draft pick of the Ben Johnson Era, and early returns make the decision look justified.
Over the last few weeks, Loveland has been arguably the team’s most consistent pass catcher. Since Week 9, Loveland leads the team with 28 receptions, 382 yards, and is tied for the team lead with four receiving touchdowns.
He’s becoming a go-to guy for quarterback Caleb Williams and each week continues to make more and more clutch plays, not only in the passing game but with his blocking in the run game as well.
“I think that’s just where we’re at with Colston,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson told reporters on Monday. “He’s such a big-bodied, long, target. Huge catching radius. And it just seems like he makes catches each week that he’s extending for. He does a great job securing that football.
I can feel the trust continuing to build between our quarterback and Colston each and every week. I really think we’re just scratching the surface of what Colston’s capable of.”
Loveland’s best game of his rookie season came back in Week 9 when he totaled 118 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner, against the Cincinnati Bengals. Since then, he’s been a consistent pass catcher but hasn’t had that kind of monster game.
The reason Week 9 was the breakout moment was in part because of tight end Cole Kmet’s injury, putting Loveland in a featured role on offense. A similar situation could be in the works for Saturday’s game against the Green Bay Packers due to injury concerns at another position.
Injuries at WR can play a major role in the Bears’ offensive plans in Week 16
Heading into Week 16, the Bears will have two key injuries to monitor at the wide receiver position between Rome Odunze and rookie Luther Burden III.
Odunze has been nursing a foot injury for nearly the entire season that has since been reported as a stress fracture. In Week 14, the Bears finally opted to sit Odunze after watching his snap-count and production decline as the weeks went on. On Sunday, the Bears hoped to have Odunze back in action, but ruled him out just before kickoff after reaggravating the injury in warmups.
“All options are on the table,” Johnson said of Odunze. “We’re going to do what’s best for Rome first and foremost. I know he wants to be out there and helping. It’s hard to tell him no sometimes. He just wants to be out on the field competing and contributing and helping our team win. So there may be a case where we’ve got to protect him from himself a little bit just to make sure we get him right and he’ll be able to help us down the road.”
As for Burden, the rookie had been coming on strong the last few weeks and lead the team in receiving yards in each of the last two weeks with Odunze sidelined. However, Burden left the game early against the Browns with an ankle injury and will be “day-to-day” this week.
“His ankle is something we’re still working through and talking about,” Johnson said of Burden. “We’ll see how this week goes in terms of whether we’ll have him available for Saturday night or not.”
Leaning into the two-TE formations could be the ideal plan regardless of who’s available
Saying either, or both, receivers can’t go on Saturday, Loveland will be primed for a more featured role in the passing game with Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay set for higher roles at WR as well.
Given Loveland’s connection with Williams and the creativity he brings on the field, I could easily see Johnson lean more into 12-personnel packages getting Loveland and Cole Kmet on the field together. Not only does it help the run game but it creates confusion for the defense when covering the two.
In the last matchup against the Packers, Loveland and Kmet combined for eight targets, six receptions, 71 yards and one touchdown by Loveland. Chicago had 12 pass attempts and 12 rushing attempts out of 2-TE sets on 68 offensive plays in that game.
Tight ends will absolutely been involved on Saturday depending on how things look health-wise at wide receiver and Loveland is the one who can really take over in this game.
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