Bears' rookie TE Colston Loveland quickly closing gap on Colts' star Tyler Warren

Over the last month, Chicago Bears' tight end Colston Loveland is clearly outplaying the Indianapolis Colts' Tyler Warren.

Colston Loveland | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Just like your panic at the Chicago Bears' 0-2 start, the knee-jerk reaction that Colston Loveland was a "bust" was a tad premature.

After Sunday's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bears have won eight of nine and sit atop the NFC North at 8-3. And Loveland has slowly-but-surely closed the gap on the tight end he'll be eternally compared to: Tyler Warren.

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What once looked like a major gaffe by general manager Ryan Poles is now a legitimate competition between the two talented and productive rookies.

After Week 4, we dared to ask "Did the Bears Draft the Wrong Tight End?" The answer then was a resounding "yes." Now? TBD. Loveland is starting to show signs he deserved to be drafted in the first round, if not yet ahead of the Indianapolis Colts' star.

After a slow start partly due to a hip injury, Loveland is becoming a crucial part of Caleb Williams' passing offense. Warren, meanwhile, has cooled off from his torrid start.

Is Colston Loveland Better Than Tyler Warren?

In the four games, in fact, Loveland is producing more than Warren. The Bears' rookie has 17 catches for 262 yards and three touchdowns in November. Warren has 22 catches for 223 yards and 0 scores. Loveland caught a touchdown in Sunday's win, and of course perhaps saved Chicago's season with a dramatic 58-yard catch-and-run score with :17 left to beat the Bengals in Week 9. Warren hasn't found the end zone since Oct. 19 in Week 7.

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This is not to suggest Loveland is having a better rookie season. Warren is still third among all tight ends in catches (55) and yards (662) and he leads the position in yards-after-catch with 413. Loveland ranks 29th in catches (28), 18th in yards (378) and 20th in yards-after-catch (157)

Last April, Poles shocked most NFL experts when he drafted Loveland over Warren with the 10th overall pick. Warren went four spots later. The gap between them has dwindled. So has Poles' gaffe.

Colston Loveland | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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