It took them nine weeks and eight games, but the Chicago Bears finally got a glimpse of what they can get from rookie right end Colston Loveland. He was more involved in the passing game from the jump last week, and he rose to the occasion, ending Week 9 with the best performance of his young career.
Of course, Loveland's breakout is great news for second-year quarterback Caleb Williams and the passing game, but not so much for fellow veteran TE Cole Kmet. And, judging by head coach Ben Johnson's latest statements, things aren't going to get any better for the veteran pass-catcher.
Ben Johnson's Colston Loveland Praise Is Bad News for Cole Kmet
The No. 10 pick of the 2025 NFL draft finished the win over the Cincinnati Bengals with six receptions on seven targets for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and his head coach couldn't be prouder:
"It's well-deserved," Johnson told the media (h/t @WatchMarquee). "He came through for us, and it really wasn't the first week that he's done that. We've kind of put him in some positions there throughout the season so far, where fourth quarter, and we need to close the game out, and the ball tended to find his hands... It's a good stepping stone for us. He's exactly what we thought we were acquiring when we drafted him, and so I'm very pleased with that."
Johnson clearly believes that Loveland can have this type of performance every week. Despite his slow start to the season, the rookie out of Michigan is looking like the guy they envisioned when they took him in the NFL Draft. Having said that, the Bears' HC will likely need to get the ball to Loveland more often to make that happen, which could be bad news for his veteran counterpart.
While Loveland was enjoying a career day on Sunday, Kmet was doing anything but that. The Notre Dame product had one catch on two targets for 10 yards, all while also suffering a concussion. He was limited in practice on Wednesday (h/t RotoBaller), meaning he might not suit up against the New York Giants this weekend if things don't rapidly improve.
The trade deadline is over, so the Bears will stick with Kmet for the rest of the season. Between $8.4 million and $10 million in cap savings can be created, depending on whether he's traded/cut at certain points in the offseason, per Spotrac, giving Chicago various exit plans if the experiment has run its course.
Kmet has struggled mightily this season, turning 21 targets into just 10 receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown. Loveland had almost as many yards and twice as many touchdowns in a single game, and that should be more than enough for the Bears to finally give him a long leash and get the rookie TE involved early and often in the passing game, even if it hurts Kmet.