There are a lot of open questions surrounding the Bears' receiver room heading into 2026. Thankfully for Caleb Williams and the rest of the offense, Colston Loveland sure isn't one of them. With the departure of DJ Moore to Buffalo, and the title of WR1 up for grabs between Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, it's important to know where Chicago's receiving tight ends stand.
The Bears shocked the football world when they selected Sam Roush during the third round, given that they selected Loveland in the first round of the 2025 draft, and it was widely believed the Bears had their tight end room sorted for the foreseeable future. If Cole Kmet wasn't already a trade candidate, this selection certainly propelled the rumor mill to break-neck speeds.
Loveland is already the guy
Though Loveland may have had a slow start to the 2025 campaign, by the end of the season, the chemistry he shared with quarterback Caleb Williams was evident both on screen and on the stat-sheet. Loveland was the clear leader in reception yards with 713. Including the playoffs, Loveland's last four games included 28 catches for 378 yards on 48 targets.
The top spot may sit firmly with Loveland, but that means a world of questions for the future of Cole Kmet. Kmet has been with the Bears since they drafted him in the second round of the 2020 draft. Since then, he's posted just under 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns. The coaching staff has been a whirlwind of faces since 2020, and it's remarkable any individual player can survive in as many regime changes.
The addition of Sam Roush causes two separate fallouts at once. It firmly places Loveland as TE1, but it also strengthens the likelihood of a Cole Kmet trade. Even with Roush expected as a blocking tight end, it still enables the Bears to play their hand. Having a third tight end on the roster takes a lot of roster space.
With Loveland taking the reigns as the clear TE1, it shifts Kmet to more of a blocking role. His 30 receptions in the whole of the 2025 season supports that. But suddenly Roush brings a competition for snaps, a battle that Kmet was already losing. With Kmet gone, any question marks the Bears had at tight end are answered almost instantly.
If Loveland continues trending toward stardom and Roush develops into the blocking option Chicago believes he can be, the Bears may already have their long-term answer at tight end staring them right in the face.
| More Bears News and Rumors |
Add us as a preferred source on Google