5️⃣3️⃣ Days Until the Season Opener

Good morning, Bears fans!

If you enjoyed our QB Challenge Quiz last month, good news! I’ll be dropping another Bears-related quiz tomorrow and this one is not only shorter, it’ll get you ready for training camp.

So keep your eyes on your inbox: The quiz will also be paired with some big Bears By 7 news.

— Kevin Kaduk

Not breaking any news here, but the one number all Bears fans will be watching in 2026 is the 4,000-yard passing mark that Caleb Williams will be chasing.

And barring injury or the entire schedule figuring out Ben Johnson’s system, Caleb should get there. He came a few catch and runs short of the number in 2025 with 3,942 yards and there presumably won’t be a slow start in 2026.

But here’s a fun side challenge for the main quest: Can Colston Loveland eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in his second NFL season?

There have been 59 individual 1,000-yard seasons by a tight end in NFL history. Mike Ditka was the first to do it when he won the 1961 Rookie of the Year award with the Bears.

But no Bears tight end has done it since. That’s not too big of a surprise given the team’s quarterback play the last 65 years, but it also takes a special tight end to get there. The Bears have had a few of those, but none have made it into quadruple digits.

Loveland seems like a guy who might not only get there once, but multiple times.

Will he get started in 2026? He certainly has a chance. Loveland finished 2025 with 713 yards (fifth among all rookie pass catchers) and six touchdowns on 58 receptions. He added 193 yards over the two postseason games, a record for a rookie NFL tight end.

All of those numbers came after Loveland struggled to rehab an injury during OTAs and training camp and then the learning curve of the NFL/Johnson’s offense. He didn’t score a touchdown in September or October, nor did he pass 40 yards in any game those months.

But once it clicked, it clicked. Loveland’s 118-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Bengals quieted any grumbles that were going around about Ryan Poles passing on Tyler Warren and 16 total receptions with two scores the last two weeks of the season fully erased them.

Now Loveland is about to have the most anticipated sophomore season for a Bear since … Devin Hester? Brian Urlacher? His breakout helped him place second behind Saints QB Tyler Shough on the NFLPA’s “Rising Stars” standout veterans list, a measure designed to track which players might shoot to the top of things like jersey sales and commercial appearances.

(Loveland’s rookie year also helped Bears tight ends coach Jim Dray earn a mention in The Athletic’s “Assistant Coaches To Watch” article on Tuesday.)

Loveland’s quest for 1,000 yards will also happen alongside Rome Odunze and Luther Burden looking for their first trips across the thousand threshold. And while you would think Williams might have a problem of too many mouths to feed, wouldn’t it be something if all three got there?

Read More: Colston Loveland 2026 Season Preview

We’re up to 17 player previews in the can! (Read them all here).

Putting our money where our mouths are …

You've referred {{rp_num_referrals}} Bears fans so far. Light up the stars at the top of this newsletter plus get a Bears sticker after two successful referrals!

Send your personal referral link to a friend!: {{rp_refer_url}}

Bears By 7 may earn a commission from affiliate links at no extra cost to you.