The Chicago Bears arrive at Halas Hall soon to kick off Training Camp, with rookies reporting on Saturday, July 25, and veterans following on Tuesday, July 28. As is tradition, we’re going to spend the week taking stock of the roster and setting the scene for the annual unofficial start to the season.
Chicago’s tight end room profiles as one of the best in the league. Colston Loveland is the big name, but that doesn’t mean that Cole Kmet and Sam Roush won’t be integral parts of what head coach Ben Johnson is building there.
The Starter: Colston Loveland
2025 Stats: 16 G, 58 Receptions, 82 Targets, 713 Receiving Yards, 6 Receiving Touchdowns
ESPN’s 2026 Projections: 80 Receptions, 118 Targets, 897 Receiving Yards, 6 Receiving Touchdowns
It’s Colston Loveland‘s world, and we’re all just living in it. Loveland projects to be Chicago’s top pass-catching target by both targets and receptions this season, and I would have a tough time arguing against it—although I have written about Luther Burden III being a breakout candidate to watch this season.
Regardless, the pecking order at the tight end position is clear, and it starts with the second-year tight end out of Michigan. Loveland’s rookie season was a slow-burn that exploded into a 58-catch, 713-yard, six-touchdown campaign, largely down the stretch for Chicago. Loveland became his quarterback Caleb Williams‘ security blanket, to the point that the phrase “Third-and-Colston” was coined inside the Bears locker room.
Colston Loveland (84) celebrates a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn ImagesLoveland wasn’t the consensus pick for Chicago at No. 10 outside of the building, but Ben Johnson knew better than most, and there’s no second-guessing it at this point. Concerns over Loveland’s recovery from surgery last summer and his slow-rolled insertion into Johnson’s offense were alleviated when he toppled the Cincinnati Bengals for six catches and 118 receiving yards, including a game-winning touchdown.
Johnson’s first draft pick proved that he can be a playmaker last season; now he’ll have to prove he can be a legitimate No.1 target. He’s likely going to have no shortage of opportunities to do so in Johnson’s offense, especially on later downs and late in games. Loveland’s route-running is an issue for opposing linebackers, and his size makes slowing him down a problem for opposing safeties. He can line up anywhere, and he’s a better blocker than anyone was willing to give him credit for this time last year. He’s the real deal, and you’re going to hear his name called plenty this season.
Who’s New?
Rookie Sam Roush is the new face in the room, but he comes with plenty of reason to believe.
Roush arrived in Chicago via the DJ Moore trade this offseason, with the Bears flipping the 60th overall selection they received from Buffalo to the Tennessee Titans for No. 69, where they picked Roush, much to the surprise of pretty much everyone. But if we’ve learned anything in the last 18 months, it’s that we trust in Ben Johnson.
We’ve seen a sizeable uptick in 13 personnel usage around the league in recent seasons — with Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams one of the success stories to point to — and Johnson is (again) staying ahead of the curve with the Roush addition. Roush is a big-bodied blocker (6-foot-5, 267 pounds) who plays through the whistle, but he’s more than simply a third tight end who can run block. His 88 athleticism score (Next Gen Stats) ranked third among tight ends in the draft, and the Bears see him as a guy who can contribute to the blocking game and then some.
“I think if you ask Coach (Johnson), the more the merrier in that tight end room, right?” said Bears Director of Player Personnel Trey Koziol, via the team’s official website. “The nice thing with Sam is that he’s got the versatility to play both in-line and off the ball. So now all of a sudden, you’ve got three versatile tight ends who can each do a little bit of everything. We always talk about adding competition to the room, but it really adds a lot of versatility into the offense.”
Sam Roush (87) speaks during Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesWho’s Back?
Aside from Loveland, the returners in this group start with veteran tight end Cole Kmet and include names that will see some camp and preseason run (and not much more), like Qadir Ismail and Nikola Kalinic.
For the last six years, Colston Loveland has been a sign of stability in a Bears roster that had little of it before the Johnson era began. The former local product and Notre Dame star who was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft is the longest-tenured Bears player, but he’s transitioning into a different role with Loveland in town.
Kmet played 16 games last season, but saw only 48 targets, down from 55 the season prior and 90 in 2023. Kmet, once the most reliable pass-catching option in Chicago, finished his sixth season with 30 catches for 347 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But Kmet isn’t a lesser player than he was during his peak production year in 2023, when he caught 73 passes for 719 yards and six touchdowns; he’s just the beneficiary of some help and depth around him.
The veteran tight end admitted at one point he was taken aback by the team’s decision to draft Loveland, but has since bought into Johnson’s vision for Chicago’s offense and has embraced the two-headed monster his head coach wants to roll out at that position on Sundays, speaking to the character and leadership qualities that Kmet has long been known for.
With Johnson looking to dial up more 12 and 13 personnel this season, there’s no reason to believe that Kmet will be phased out of the offense, even if he’s taking a backseat to Loveland in the primary pass-catching department.
Cole Kmet (85) reacts after making a touchdown catch against the Detroit Lions during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn ImagesOne Bears Player to Watch
As with the Odunze-Burden conversation with the wide receiver group, taking Loveland here would be easy. But I’m genuinely more intrigued by how Johnson deploys Roush in his offense during Training Camp and the preseason.
The theme of Chicago’s offseason was athleticism, explosiveness, and multiplicity, which tracks with their head coach’s philosophical track record and feels like the natural evolution of his tenure with the Bears. The Bears didn’t spend a third-rounder on Roush for him to “fill the Durham Smythe role.” They drafted him to be a part of the bigger picture.
As we saw with Loveland and Burden, and even to a similar extent with running back Kyle Monangai last season, Roush’s role will be measured to start, perhaps to a disconcerting level for some Bears fans. But I trust Johnson’s vision, and I think we’ll at least get glimpses of what he has planned for Roush during camp and the preseason.
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