When the Chicago Bears were on the clock with the first pick of the Ben Johnson era, many figured they would take an offensive weapon. What people didn’t expect is that the pick, 10th overall in April’s draft, would be Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.
Loveland was a top tight end prospect in the draft but the selection felt redundant due to the presence of Cole Kmet. An offseason of rumors followed and it seemed like Kmet would be spending the 2025 season somewhere else. But the Bears held onto Kmet, creating what felt like a missed opportunity.
As it turns out, keeping Kmet may have been the best move. Loveland has been on and off the field due to injuries and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the rookie will not play in Sunday’s game against the Raiders due to a hip injury, giving Kmet another chance to validate that decision.
Cole Kmet’s Value is Apparent After Colston Loveland’s Latest Injury
The Bears would probably like to have an immediate impact from Loveland, but there’s also a chance they could have seen this coming. Loveland was recovering from a shoulder injury when he was taken with the 10th overall pick in April’s draft and made his return during training camp.
While Loveland began the season, tight ends usually don’t have an immediate impact in their rookie year. Brock Bowers, who Chicago will see on Sunday is an outlier with 112 catches and 1,194 yards last season, but only 10 rookies have had 50 or more catches in their first season in the NFL. Yardage totals are another challenge as only six rookie tight ends have had more than 600 receiving yards in their first season.
With so much to learn, Loveland was going to have a steep learning curve and had two catches for 12 yards in his first two games. While he had three targets and hauled in a 31-yard reception before leaving last week’s win over the Cowboys, it still would have been a ways to go before he became the player that Kmet has been over the past few years.
Kmet hasn’t set the world on fire with four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Cowboys. But he’s also two years removed from the 2023 season where he caught 73 passes for 719 yards and six touchdowns. Kmet’s contract may have also factored into Chicago’s decision to keep him, but it seemed like a good idea to keep the veteran around and potentially shop him next season when the Bears can save $8.4 million against the salary cap.
Loveland isn’t a bust and his injury may be a short-term setback that leads to bigger things. But the Bears would have been in a crisis had they not kept Kmet, giving them some solace as they head into Las Vegas without one of their young weapons on Sunday.