The Chicago Bears' decision to take Colston Loveland at No. 10 in April drew some mixed reviews at the time. Tyler Warren was the consensus No. 1 tight end in the class, and while the Bears raved about Loveland's fit, the early returns suggest they may have made a mistake.
Nevertheless, it's still way too early in the season, and there's plenty of football to be played. And now that the Bears are taking some time off in the bye week and Loveland reportedly returned to practice on Tuesday (h/t @CourtneyRCronin), the rookie out of Michigan might finally be in for an expanded role.
Bears TE Colston Loveland Could Begin Breakout in Week 6
Loveland missed the week of the Las Vegas Raiders with a hip injury, leaving Cole Kmet as the clear-cut TE1 for another game. However, the veteran failed to make the most of the opportunity to prove he should stay ahead of the rookie in the pecking order, catching only three of his nine targets for 46 receiving yards.
Kmet had been called for multiple penalties and committed a couple of drops, one of which would've set up a first-and-goal from the Raiders' five-yard line. To make his situation even more concerning, this was actually a season-best effort for him in both receptions and yards, indicating that his best days could be behind him, opening the door for his first-year counterpart to steal the spotlight back.
The Bears wanted to get Loveland going in the win against the Dallas Cowboys, and he made the highlights with a 31-yard reception in the first half — his only catch of the game. Having said that, it was his longest reception of the season, leaving Chicago fans excited to see what's next. His big-play potential already makes him a more exciting and explosive play than Kmet, and he could be head coach Ben Johnson's new version of Sam LaPorta.
For reference, LaPorta finished his rookie season with 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. Chicago fans certainly wouldn't complain if Loveland had a similar impact down the stretch.
Kmet is a good player, but the Bears used a top-10 selection to get Loveland, and not getting him more involved as the season goes by would just be a disservice and poor asset management. He's back to full strength, and the bye week will help him get even healthier while learning more about the offensive playbook.
Loveland's potential is there, and it'll finally be time for the Bears to unleash it when they return to action in Week 6.