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Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland has 13 catches for 110 yards through five games, but his modest production may say more about the quarterbacks available to him than a diminished role. Locked On Bears host Lorin Cox argued that quarterback Caleb Williams’ expected return could give Loveland the connection his route usage and recent quarterback circumstances have denied him.
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Loveland’s best outing came against the New York Jets, when he caught six passes for 57 yards on nine targets. He followed it with two catches for 19 yards against the Green Bay Packers, leaving him without a touchdown and well behind last season’s pace.
Cox said Loveland’s most common routes have not changed much: outs, curls, slants and crossers remain central to his workload. The host instead pointed to the mismatch between those throws and the quarterbacks who have taken snaps while Williams has been sidelined. Backup quarterbacks Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent have had difficulty creating the same opportunities on timing throws, particularly outs that demand velocity to the sideline.
Cox also noted that Bagent has not checked the ball down as often as Williams, an important distinction when Loveland is positioned as an underneath option. That has left the tight end running routes designed to be available without consistently becoming the target.
Williams’ availability for the Atlanta Falcons game remains unsettled, but Cox expects Loveland’s production to rise when the starting quarterback returns. A healthier passing rhythm would give Chicago a chance to turn Loveland’s short-area role into more reliable chain-moving production rather than treating his early totals as an individual regression.
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Bears News and Notes
– Cox reported that defensive end Montez Sweat received a two-game NFL suspension, leaving Austin Booker and fellow defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo as the leading edge options against Atlanta. Odeyingbo’s status also bears watching after he left the Packers game injured, according to Cox.
– Cornerback Jaylon Johnson has not played to his previous standard, Cox said. The host found little schematic evidence that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s coverage calls alone explain the downturn, though Johnson now plays exclusively on the left side rather than rotating between field and boundary assignments.
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This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 9:59 PM.