The Chicago Bears raised some eyebrows when they took Colston Loveland over Tyler Warren in the 2025 NFL Draft. He got off to a slow start, but it didn't take long before he proved why he was the right call all along.
Loveland closed out his rookie season on an absolute heater. He made veteran Cole Kmet look expendable, to the point where he led the team in receptions (58), receiving yards (713), and was tied for the lead in touchdowns (6).
That raised the bar for his second year in the league, especially with another full camp next to Caleb Williams and under Ben Johnson's guidance. Notably, that's also why the Bears' quarterback knows it's up to him to help his tight end reach his true ceiling.
Caleb Williams knows Colston Loveland can be the best tight end in the league
"He can become the best tight end in the league. I think he is. But stats and us going out there and proving it is what it's going to take. ... He's an all-encompassing tight end," Williams said of Loveland, per The Score's Chris Emma.
Williams is putting some pressure on him, and that's exactly what you want to hear from your franchise quarterback. He's uplifting his teammate by giving him his flowers while taking accountability and acknowledging the fact that he also has to step up to make everyone around him better.
The first returns of this partnership are promising. The Bears added another tight end to the mix by surprisingly drafting Sam Roush, but he shouldn't be much of a threat to Loveland. If anything, he might take Kmet's target share and snaps.
Loveland's ability to create separation and dominate in contested-catch situations makes him a perennial big-play threat. Williams, on the other hand, is always going for the home run, and while he should have more layups and easy throws in his third year, that lays the ground for this to be one of the most explosive duos in the game.
Williams drew Patrick Mahomes comparisons in college, and you can definitely see some of that in his game. Mahomes had Travis Kelce improvise down the middle of the field and make defensive backs look like toddlers, and Williams can do something similar in Loveland.
The Bears have so many weapons to lean on that it'll be difficult to know for sure who'll be the featured guy. Loveland might go off in certain matchups, while Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze lead the way here and there.
Still, with his toughness, body of work, and — more importantly — his chemistry with his quarterback, Loveland might be the safest bet to be the most consistent contributor to the passing game.
Williams has to take another leap in his second year under Ben Johnson. He has to clean up some technique issues and be more accurate, but the potential is there, and the sky will be the limit if he figures it out.
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