Why Bears TE Colston Loveland has only one catch through two games

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.

Why Colston Loveland lacks targets through two games

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.

Colston Loveland deployed as a pass-blocker in Week 2

It is not as though the Bears scrapped Loveland as a route-runner, but they did utilize him more at the line of scrimmage against the Vikings than in most other games. Loveland took on one of the largest pass-blocking roles of his career against Brian Flores’ vaunted Minnesota defense. His pass-blocking rate, in fact, was higher in Week 2 than at any point in the second half of last season, per PFF.

This makes quite a bit of sense considering the opponent. Not only does Minnesota dial up blitzes at the highest rate of any defense in the NFL, but it does so by an extreme margin. The Vikings blitzed on 75.3% of pass plays in their first two games, while the next-most aggressive team did so at just 46.6%. Chicago responded by enhancing its protection with Loveland stepping in to aid the offensive line.

Perhaps the Bears overused Loveland as a blocker, though. The most questionable decision in that regard came on the final play of the game. Chicago needed a touchdown, had the ball on the 12-yard line and instead of sending its star tight end to the end zone, it held him back in pass protection. Not only did this take a tall and physical weapon out of play downfield, but it also resulted in Loveland’s assignment getting home for a game-sealing sack of backup quarterback Tyson Bagent.

Loveland’s past blocking rates suggest this was a one-time uptick against an aggressive defense. The result of the final play against the Vikings should also serve as a reminder to Ben Johnson and the coaching staff that the star tight end is best used down the field rather than in the trenches.

The bigger red flag is that Chicago might not trust its offensive line to protect Williams in its toughest matchups. The less time Williams has to operate in the pocket, the less time Loveland has to get downfield. That could hold him back from replicating the tremendous per-route yardage numbers he logged as a rookie.

Opportunities still abound for Colston Loveland

Loveland’s blocking duties in Week 2 should not cast doubt on his usage moving forward. More likely than not, it was a product of playing against a formidable defensive front. Look no further than the previous week for reassurance about Loveland’s role as a receiver, because he ran a team-high 33 routes against the Panthers. It may not have resulted in a single catch, but Chicago was more adamant about getting Loveland downfield than any other player on the offense.

Not even his reduction in opportunities last week was enough to unseat Loveland as the Bears’ most active route-runner. Below are the Bears’ five leaders in routes run through two games.

1. Colston Loveland, 61
2. Rome Odunze, 57
3. Luther Burden III, 55
4. Kalif Raymond, 53
5. Cole Kmet, 32

Two games is a small sample size. After two more weeks, Loveland could look up at the stat sheet and find himself as the Bears’ season-long receiving leader. The fact that Raymond — not Loveland, Odunze nor Burden — is the team’s most productive receiver is likely nothing more than early-season noise.