Much was made about the Chicago Bears failing to get the ball to Colston Loveland in the first weeks of the 2026 season. Caleb Williams returning to the starting lineup was hoped to be the answer for both the tight end and a Bears offense that went silent the previous week. Williams set the tone for the first play finding Colston Loveland and making a point the rest of the game to have the star tight end involved putting away concerns that year two was going to be a huge step backwards.
Loveland finished the 31-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons, with six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. The pass catcher was the second leading receiver behind Luther Burden, who finished with eight grabs for 95 receiving yards. No question, it was a breakout game for Loveland and one where the Bears sent a message.
Rewind to the end of last season as the Bears became surprise playoff contenders and in the final three games it is easy to argue Loveland was the most trusted target. This made it hard to explain why Loveland had regressed and become a non-factor through the early part of the 2026 season. Williams being out of the lineup appears to be the simple explanation as the tight end is back to being himself.
What makes Loveland so exciting to watch isn't just the big catch radius, but the ability to create after the catch. This was on display on Sunday with the tight end playing physically even on shorter catches and flashing the ability to create extra yardage.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams sends undeniable message to Colston Loveland in return to lineup
It will be interesting to watch how Ben Johnson's offense continues to develop as there is a clear wealth of playmakers. Not only do you have many capable weapons, but Williams has shown he can elevate those around him, giving the Chicago offense a seemingly limitless ceiling. One that Loveland now feels an important part of once again.
Loveland being a piece that the opposing defense is now forced to respect opens up things for Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and D'Andre Swift to deal with a bit less pressure. This is to say nothing of secondary contributions from Cole Kmet, Zavion Thomas, and Kyle Monangai.
Chicago has a great problem to attempt to navigate and Williams wasted no time answering at least one problem forcing the ball to Loveland and building momentum. It will be interesting to see if this is a building block moving forward that it appears to be allowing the tight end to finally take off.
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