It is understandable that in a game where the Chicago Bears managed just three points, star tight end Colston Loveland had a quiet performance. Where it becomes head-scratching, though, is that it followed a Week 1 outing in which Loveland went without a single catch. That begs the question of whether this is simply a slow start or if there is reason for concern about his season-long outlook.
Entering the season, Loveland would have been among the last tight ends one would expect to tally just a single catch for three yards across two games. He ranks 76th at the position in receiving yards despite the fact that his team exploded for 59 points in the season opener. Mind you, this is a tight end who last year was the fourth-best in yards per route and who closed the campaign on a tear.
Loveland's rookie season had its peaks and valleys, so perhaps his second year with the Bears will eventually resemble that 2025 picture. Anyone talented enough to rack up 28 catches, 378 yards and two touchdowns in the final four games of his debut season ought to be capable of stringing together a similar stretch a year later, right? Here is what went wrong for Loveland in the first two games of 2026 and a few reasons why the best is still ahead for the former No. 10 overall draft pick.
Loveland's five targets rank 31st most among tight ends. That is an unimaginably low number for a player who commanded 10 or more targets in the final two games of the 2025 regular season and both of the Bears' playoff contests. The reason behind that downturn appears to be twofold.
First, Loveland is not getting nearly as much separation on his routes this year as he did as a rookie. He generated an average of 3.7 yards of separation in 2025 compared to just 2.1 yards in Weeks 1 and 2. The most logical explanation is that defenses are keying in on him.
They had all offseason to dial up coverage schemes, knowing that they would face him early in the year. What's more, in the instances where Loveland does break free from his defender, quarterback Caleb Williams does not feed him the ball. Against the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings, on numerous routes where Loveland found himself in open space, Williams had already locked in on or thrown to another receiver, was in escape mode or found himself in the arms of a pass rusher.
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