The Chicago Bears drafted tight end Colston Loveland with the intention of finding a long-term weapon for new head coach Ben Johnson and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. However, Loveland’s impact in his rookie season could be limited.
Johnson helped turn Sam LaPorta into an elite tight end during his time as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. He earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in his rookie season in 2023.
Loveland reminded Johnson of LaPorta, which is why Chicago chose to draft the Michigan stud over Penn State star Tyler Warren.
Loveland has a concerning issue this offseason with his shoulder. He underwent shoulder surgery in January to repair an AC joint dislocation.
Colston Loveland is expected to miss OTAs
© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
During an episode of the “Take The North” podcast, Bears insiders Mark Grote and Dan Wiederer said that Loveland is expected to miss OTAs this spring, which contradicts the rosy timeline his doctor gave in February.
“Back to the injury thing, he played in 10 games this year, the shoulder injury,” Grote said about Loveland missing Michigan’s final two games in 2024. “You’re right, he’s going to miss the OTAs. They (the Bears front office) sounded pretty sure, though, and maybe this is just Loveland the player, you can’t always take it for word.
“It was like, to him, there’s no doubt that he’s going to be ready for training camp. Did you get that sense, Dan, from people that you talk to out there? Because when we hear he’s going to be ready for camp and the OTAs he’s going to miss, that doesn’t always turn out to be the case.”
It wasn’t the case with offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie last year, who missed most of training camp before struggling when the team had to turn to him in the regular season.
Caleb Williams’ chemistry with Loveland depends on the TE’s health
Wiederer said it was too early to tell when Loveland could return to practice. But he said there is a concern that if Loveland missed OTAs and any part of training camp it could alter his chemistry with Williams before Week 1.
“Obviously, you would hope that if he misses any time, it’s a week and then you’re ready to roll as soon as you start getting into things, because you’re going to need him to get some preseason action,” Wiederer said. “You’re going to need him to get some reps at camp. He’s going to have to work on the chemistry with Caleb Williams.
“Like that’s a huge relationship now as part of this offense, as Caleb is trying to get a lot of relationships strengthened and built here this offseason with new faces and familiar friends that he’s got in the building. And so those are things that have to take root sooner rather than later.”
If Loveland misses significant time in the preseason, Poles will face heat for not taking a pick at a premium position with the No. 10 pick, instead grabbing a luxury player with a higher ceiling but lower floor than Warren.
None of that will matter anyway if Loveland makes the Pro Bowl in 2026.
But Poles might not be around for that season if the team isn’t strong enough to compete in the playoffs in 2025, something that will be a tougher task if the No. 10 pick can’t make an impact as a rookie.
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