Five games into his second NFL season, Colston Loveland has yet to resemble the player Bears fans watched emerge as one of Chicago’s most promising offensive weapons last year.
Despite playing 85% of the Bears’ offensive snaps (327), the most of any player outside of the starting offensive line, Loveland has managed just 13 receptions on 23 targets for 110 yards and zero touchdowns.
For a player who appeared poised for a breakout second season, the lack of production is becoming a problem.
Does Loveland’s slow start fall on his shoulders, or can it be attributed to the instability surrounding him?
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The Opportunities Are There, But the Production Isn’t
According to Pro Football Focus, Loveland has logged 187 passing snaps and run 152 routes through five games. For comparison, fellow tight end Cole Kmet has played just 104 passing snaps and run 68 routes.
Despite running more than twice as many routes as Kmet, Loveland has recorded only 110 receiving yards compared to Kmet’s 56.
Perhaps the most concerning statistic is the 34.3 passer rating when targeting Loveland, compared to 122.9 when targeting Kmet.
Of course, passer rating isn’t a direct reflection of Loveland’s performance. Rather, it raises questions about the quality of his opportunities and the quarterback play surrounding him.
There have been several instances where Caleb Williams or Tyson Bagent have passed up an open Loveland crossing the field in favor of a riskier throw, with costly results.
Ben Johnson is clearly giving Loveland plenty of chances to contribute, but those opportunities mean little if the ball isn’t consistently getting to him.
It hasn’t helped that Loveland has spent much of this season dealing with a revolving door at quarterback. With Williams yet to play two full games, the Bears have relied on backups Tyson Bagent and veteran Case Keenum.
In Keenum’s lone start against Philadelphia in Week 3, Loveland hauled in all four of his targets for 31 yards. One of those catches appeared to give Loveland his first touchdown of the season, but the score was overturned after replay review confirmed he was just inches short of the goal line.
Speaking of the red zone, Chicago’s offensive approach hasn’t exactly helped Loveland’s touchdown production. According to StatRankings, the Bears have passed on just 43% of their red-zone plays this season. Of Chicago’s 14 offensive touchdowns, 10 have come on the ground compared to just four through the air.
D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai have combined for 35 red-zone carries and seven rushing touchdowns on the season. Williams also ran for a pair in Week 1, while Keenum snuck one in, too. Meanwhile, Loveland has accounted for six of the Bears’ seven red-zone targets to tight ends, catching three passes for 29 yards.
We’ve Seen This Before From Loveland
It’s easy to forget that Loveland experienced a similarly slow start to his rookie campaign before emerging as one of Chicago’s most reliable receiving threats.
Through his first six games in 2025, Loveland recorded just 11 receptions on 18 targets for 116 yards and zero touchdowns. Over his final 10 regular-season games, those numbers skyrocketed to 47 receptions for 597 yards and six touchdowns.
He carried that momentum into the postseason, hauling in eight receptions for 137 yards against Green Bay in the Wild Card round before adding four catches for 56 yards against the Rams in the Divisional Round.
To put that into perspective, Loveland gained more receiving yards against the Packers in one playoff game than he did over his first six regular-season games combined.
That doesn’t mean slow starts should become the norm for Loveland. A sluggish beginning to his rookie campaign was understandable given the adjustment to the NFL and a new offensive system, but expectations should be higher in Year 2. He was Ben Johnson’s first pick as Bears head coach. Chicago invested in his talent for a reason and should be capitalizing on it from the jump.
Still, there’s no reason to get up in arms just yet. With Williams expected to return this week against Atlanta, the Bears should finally have some stability at quarterback.
The matchup is favorable, too. The Falcons rank 24th in receptions (6.0) and 21st in receiving yards (53.8) allowed to opposing tight ends per game.
Sunday’s matchup could be the perfect opportunity for Loveland and Williams to reignite the chemistry we saw down the stretch last season.
But if the production doesn’t follow with Williams back under center, the concerns surrounding Loveland will become harder to excuse.
