The following is the fourth of nine position reviews from the Bears' 2025 season.
Rookie tight end Colston Loveland, the No. 10 pick in last year's draft, led all Bears pass-catchers this season with 713 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 58 receptions.
An impressive feat by itself — Loveland became the first rookie to lead the team in yards since Willie Gault in 1983 and first rookie tight end to do so since Hall of Famer Mike Ditka in 1961 — Loveland produced the bulk of those numbers in the Bears' final 12 games, including their two postseason contests, when he averaged 4.9 receptions and 65.8 yards and all six of those scores.
In his first six games, Loveland averaged 1.8 catches and 19.3 yards after missing the offseason program while recovering from surgery to repair a shoulder injury he suffered in college. However, Loveland's drive to become a playmaker, which included spending extra time with quarterback Caleb Williams to build chemistry and putting in long hours at Halas Hall, led to his emergence in his first NFL season.
"He's a guy that he's one of the first ones in the building every single day," coach Ben Johnson said in January. "He is always studying his playbook while he's eating breakfast. He is always the last one off the practice field, doing the JUGS machine. Model of consistency, which for a rookie speaks volumes. As a coaching staff, I know we really believe in him and he is really just scratching the surface of what he's going to become."
Loveland's most impactful performance in his rookie campaign came in the wild card win over the Packers at Soldier Field, where he served as the go-to guy for Williams in both players' first NFL playoff game. He totaled eight receptions for a season-high 137 yards, including 115 yards in the second half, which helped fuel an 18-point comeback and dramatic overtime victory.
"We got a homerun with him, and that's something coach said the other day to me," Williams said following the win. "It's Colston Loveland, you know what I mean? That's who he is. One of the hardest workers on this team. He's there late, he's there early. His body language when he's on the field, all of that — I'm excited for what's to come."
With his performance against the Packers, Loveland became the first rookie tight end to catch at least eight passes for at least 100 yards in an NFL postseason game. He recorded 56 yards the following week in the Divisional Round against the Rams, giving him 193 total yards in the playoffs, the most by an NFL rookie tight end in a single postseason since at least 1960.
During the regular season, Loveland's initial breakout performance occurred in Cincinnati Nov. 2, when he produced his first 100-yard game, recording 118 yards and his first two NFL touchdowns on six receptions. Most notably, he caught a 58-yard touchdown pass from Williams with :17 remaining to lead the Bears to a thrilling 47-42 comeback victory, securing him NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
While Loveland displayed veteran-like consistency and playmaking ability in his first NFL season, Bears front office members, coaches and teammates all believe that Year 1 just the beginning for the Michigan product.
"It only takes a few minutes being around Colston Loveland to know that he is so passionate about [football]," general manager Ryan Poles said. "He wants to be great. He wants to be great for his teammates. He loves ball."
Alongside Loveland, veteran Cole Kmet added 30 receptions for 347 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season, as well as a dramatic 14-yard game-tying touchdown in the divisional matchup with Los Angeles.
That touchdown reception, which actually traveled 51.2 air yards, was arguably the biggest catch of Kmet's career, capping off another fourth-quarter rally by the Bears and forcing overtime.
While Kmet's season-long statistics weren't as high as in previous years, the six-year pro routinely produced in clutch moments, like the playoff game, and was make a big impact in the Bears' run game, which ranked third in the league.
One of Kmet's top performances came against the Vikings Nov. 16, when he caught all five of his targets for 45 yards, helping the Bears to a 19-17 win in Minneapolis.
"I thought Cole played one of his best games he has so far this year," Johnson said following the win. "I get he caught a couple more balls, but I'm not even talking about that. He's great in the running game, and then pass pro, we put him in some tough matchups there on some of their defensive end or outside linebacker types, and I thought he did an outstanding job throughout that. When he was a ball carrier, you felt his presence out there. He was lowering his shoulder, he was stiff-arming. He brought our sideline to life a couple of times."
The Bears also utilized veteran tight end Durham Smythe in 2025. The seventh-year pro played a key role in run and pass blocking, playing 25% of the offensive snaps, and also contributed on special teams, playing 50% of the snaps.
