Welcome to the 2026 Chicago Bears Season Preview on Bears By 7, a player-by-player look at the team's roster and their chances.

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It’s hard to believe there were a few months last season when we thought the Bears had made a terrible mistake drafting Colston Loveland over Tyler Warren.

But it actually happened. Warren shot out of the gates with the red-hot Colts and looked like the guy everyone thought would be the first tight end selected in the draft.

Loveland, meanwhile, struggled with an injury and was eased into the offense by Ben Johnson. He didn’t score a touchdown in either September or October while Warren had four scores in the same time frame.

Yet just as we were starting to worry, Loveland finally broke free in Week 9. Quite literally, as his 58-yard touchdown scamper against the Bengals not only secured a win but propelled the team to a memorable second half of the season.

From that point through the end of the season, Loveland became an integral part of Johnson’s attack. He finished the regular season with 58 catches, 713 yards, and six touchdowns, the fifth-most receiving yards among all rookie pass catchers in the NFL.

Then came the playoffs. Loveland was an absolute beast against the Packers, making eight catches for 137 yards on 15 targets. (His route and catch on a successful two-point conversion in the fourth quarter showed just what a coverage nightmare he can be for opposing defenses.)

Loveland tacked on an additional 56 yards against the Rams in the divisional round for a combined 193 postseason receiving yards, the most by any rookie tight end since at least 1960. While Loveland suffered a concussion in that game, he has since recovered and is back healthy for 2026. The arrow is pointing straight up and no one remembers a time where we thought the Bears had made a mistake passing on Warren.

Just to be clear: Rookie tight ends really aren’t supposed to do what Loveland did in 2025. The position has a steep learning curve, particularly in an offense like Ben Johnson’s which needs its star receiving tight end to handle their share of the blocking.

Loveland picked all of it up in just about half a season to become one of the true standout tight ends in the National Football League.

And here’s the scary part for the Bears’ opponents this year.