The space between the beginning of June and the end of July is the longest break NFL players get during a calendar year. Most of them prefer to get away, recharge, and prepare for the brutal preparation of training camp. However, some players don’t want to wait for that day. They choose to take full advantage of the Chicago Bears‘ state-of-the-art practice facilities to keep working on their body and skills. Few people appreciate such players more than head coach Ben Johnson.
He understands the grinder mentality better than most. It is what took him from a lowly college intern coach to head coach of an NFL team in barely over a decade. There is no substitute for hard work. One can imagine a number of Bears players were in the building during the break. Jaylon Johnson, Jaquan Brisker, Caleb Williams, and Cole Kmet are obvious possibilities. As it turns out, none of them put in more time at the facilities than another name. Johnson revealed who it was during his opening press conference of training camp.
It’s becoming clear why Ben Johnson pushed to draft Colston Loveland.
Sure, the tight end’s talent was obvious. There aren’t many players with his mix of size, length, speed, and soft hands. We’re talking Travis Kelce and George Kittle levels of ability. However, that alone didn’t make him a top 10 pick. Throughout the pre-draft process, it became apparent from interviews with friends, family, teammates, and coaches that Loveland was a gym rat. He lives for hard work. The fact that he is a rookie and already putting in as much or more time than veterans to prepare for a season tells you everything. It is why he was fully recovered from his shoulder injury and ready for camp. Ben Johnson knows what the kid is made of and can’t wait to see him turn some of that talent loose in practice.
