Watch: Colston Loveland on video
Colston Loveland cracked ESPN’s top 10 tight ends for 2026, landing at No. 7 in a poll of more than 70 executives, coaches and scouts published this week — a notable marker for a player entering just his second season with the Chicago Bears.
The ballots reflected a young player still building his case. Loveland’s highest vote was third; at least one voter left him off entirely. He landed one spot behind the group ESPN’s panel treated as the position’s best — Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, George Kittle, Sam LaPorta and Tyler Warren — and ahead of several tight ends with far longer résumés.
Why it matters
What moved him up was how last season finished. Over the Bears’ final four games, Loveland gained 378 yards on 28 receptions with two touchdowns and a 29% target share. That stretch showed an offense growing more comfortable running its passing game through him.
For a Bears team whose season rides on second-year quarterback Caleb Williams, that timeline matters. A tight end who can win in the seam and work the middle of the field gives a young passer a dependable answer against pressure and disguised coverage — the kind of outlet that tends to speed up a quarterback’s development in a new system.
Whether Loveland holds a top-10 spot a year from now will depend on production across a full 17 games rather than one strong December. But entering Ben Johnson’s second training camp in Chicago, the vote is a reminder that the rest of the league already views the Bears’ 2025 first-round pick as one of the better young players at the position. Rookies report July 25, with veterans due July 28.
