LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- In a Chicago Bears offense that features the Madden cover man in quarterback Caleb Williams and a high-profile coach in Ben Johnson, the celebrity of one young player is emerging from the shadows.
From landing a role in the Hallmark Channel movie "Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story," to slinging hot dogs at the famous "The Wieners Circle" this summer, second-year tight end Colston Loveland is gaining attention on and off the field.
"He can do everything," Williams said.
After leading the Bears in receiving (58 catches, 713 yards, six touchdowns -- all team highs) as a rookie, Loveland is ranked the No. 3 tight end in fantasy by ESPN, behind the Arizona Cardinals' Trey McBride and the Las Vegas Raiders' Brock Bowers.
"He can become the best tight end in the league," Williams said. "I think he is."
But like with all elite players, Loveland isn't heading into Year 2 satisfied with his accomplishments.
What's the best thing to order on our menu? Just ask Mr. Loveland pic.twitter.com/KaJlVugoEj
— The Wieners Circle (@TheWienerCircle) August 7, 2026
When Johnson popped by a special teams meeting early in training camp, he heard someone unexpected firing off questions at coaches.
It didn't matter to Loveland that he wasn't likely to be on this specific unit given his sweeping role on offense. If there were ever a question about his responsibility on punt return or the field goal block team, Loveland made sure he would have the answers in his notes.
"He's just a sponge right now," Johnson said. "He wants all the information. He knows all this knowledge is going to make him a better player, and he's going to continue to play faster."
Once an install has been drilled down for the 10th time, Loveland will shift focus from his job at tight end to what's being asked of the wide receivers around him. He wants to know everything from the specifics behind route combinations -- even when he's not the primary target -- to the blocking rules for himself and the offensive line.
"I don't want anyone to have an edge on me. Meaning, I want to study just as much or more than everyone," Loveland said. "I want to get as (many) touches, you know, whatever it may be.
"So yeah, it's just like I see other people doing it, it's like, 'Why am I not doing it?'"
That approach fuels Loveland on the practice field, where he routinely catches 100 passes from a combination of Bears quarterback and the Jugs machine before every camp session.
One catalyst for Williams' hot start to training camp was the target he looked to most often.
Get ready to see some familiar faces in Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story premiering Saturday October 17 on Hallmark Channel, streaming next day on Hallmark Plus! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/UvJvhIo6op
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 5, 2026
During a two-minute drill at the end of practice July 31, Williams found Loveland four times on a drive that started at the offense's 39-yard line and culminated with Loveland corralling a tight-window pass in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown.
That moment didn't teach Williams anything he didn't already know about the former No. 10 pick who turned eight catches into 137 yards and a critical 2-point conversion in the Bears' 31-27 comeback win over the Packers in the playoffs.
Williams had long recognized Loveland's potential as a weapon who "can do everything," the type of player whose big-play prowess has bailed the Bears' offense out of a bind.
In one of many furious late-game rallies that defined the Bears' 2025 season, Loveland turned six catches into 118 yards and two scores in Cincinnati, including a 58-yard walk-off touchdown.
"Put it up there and give him a shot," Williams said. "He's such a big target, easy target, runs the right routes and nice routes, and then other than that he can run block and disguise things. He's an all-encompassing tight end."
Loveland outperformed most veterans at his position last season, ranking second among all tight ends in receiving yards from Weeks 9-18 and generating a +44.6 receiving EPA, per Next Gen Stats, which was the highest mark by a rookie tight end since 2016.
Like Sam LaPorta did in Detroit under Johnson's leadership, Loveland's impact on the offense sparked one of the league's most explosive passing attacks. His on-field contributions carried the Bears past a slow start in 2025 to their first playoff victory in 15 years.
"He just got a lot of versatility," linebacker D'Marco Jackson said. "He's a good route runner, he's loose. He's really good at the catch point, his radius.
"Man, he's a good all-around player and I feel like he's going to be a challenge in camp to keep working with and good preparation for the season."
Loveland is such a good route runner that WR1 Rome Odunze said he has "learned a lot from him."
"Rare," Odunze said when asked about Loveland's versatility. "A diamond. It's impressive just to see his route-running ability. It's incredible. And then you get him down blocking and he's holding his own like he's a tackle.
"So his versatility is truly incredible. I'm super glad that he's on the crew, and I learned a lot from him as well just from his movement and his fluidity in and out of his routes."