How Colston Loveland's Clutch Gene Could Make Bears' WR1 Battle in OTAs Irrelevant

After trading receiver D.J. Moore to the Buffalo Bills ahead of free agency, the Chicago Bears created a void at the top of their wide receiver room, and the battle to fill that hole has already begun. I've written before that I think Luther Burden III will beat Rome Odunze to be WR1 on the depth chart, but it may not even matter. Colston Loveland is already the presumptive TE1, and his performance in the clutch last year may make him the center of Chicago's passing attack.

Loveland showed up when the Bears needed him most

Daire Carragher, an NFL analyst for Pro Football Focus (PFF), recently unveiled PFF's 10 highest graded players in the fourth quarter and overtime from the 2025 season, and Colston Loveland checked in with an elite 91.1 grade. This marked the highest grade for any tight end last year. Not just his fellow rookies, but all tight ends, including such superstars as Travis Kelce and George Kittle.

According to Carragher, "Forty percent of Loveland’s receiving yards came in fourth quarters or overtime, as did half of his touchdowns. The 22-year-old closed the season with seven straight games featuring at least one fourth-quarter first down. He ultimately finished as PFF’s highest-graded tight end in fourth quarters and overtime."

This should come as no surprise. Loveland's rookie highlight reel is littered with clutch receptions. From the go-ahead touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals to a critical two-point conversion in the Bears' triumphant Wild Card victory over the Green Bay Packers, Loveland proved to be Caleb Williams' go-to guy when the offense needed a big play. He even set an NFL record as the first rookie tight end to record eight or more catches and 100 or more receiving yards in a single playoff game, which he did in his playoff debut.

Chicago Bears TE Colston Loveland celebrates a touchdown against the Detroit Lions. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Chicago's WR room still faces questions about its future

The Bears have no shortage of potential in their wide receiver room, but there remains plenty of questions, too. Can Rome Odunze finally live up to his draft status as a Top 10 pick? Luther Burden III had some great moments as a rookie, but can he handle an increased workload? Hype for the rookie Zavion Thomas is building, but he remains a complete unknown.

One of these players will have to be the Bears' WR1 on the depth chart, and the hope is that it will be well and truly earned. But no such questions exist within the tight end room. Loveland is the unquestioned TE1, and his ascendancy as a pass-catcher could very well make the Bears WR1 position battle irrelevant. If he continues on his superstar trajectory, Loveland could be to Caleb Williams what Travis Kelce is to Patrick Mahomes, or what Rob Gronkowski was to Tom Brady.

Remember, with the exception of Tyreek Hill's 2019 season with the Kansas City Chiefs, neither Brady nor Mahomes had a dominant WR1 in any of their Super Bowl wins. They had good receivers, but not the kind of receiver that is a consensus Top 5 in the league. Their passing attack was fueled instead by the quarterbacks themselves, good coaching, and an elite tight end.

Williams has drawn comparisons to Mahomes already, and Ben Johnson took a five-win team and immediately won the division in his first year as head coach. That makes Loveland potentially the last piece the Bears need to have a Super Bowl-caliber passing attack.

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