There’s something special cooking up with Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and tight end Colston Loveland.
“We got a home run with him,” Williams said regarding Loveland after the Bears’ crazy comeback 31-27 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, where Loveland caught eight passes for 137 yards and a two-point conversion.
Loveland became the first rookie tight end with at least eight receptions and 100+ receiving yards in a postseason game in NFL history.
But how did it get to that point, especially considering many NFL fans were hating on the Bears drafting Loveland in the first round after a relatively quiet start to his rookie season? Loveland joined The Athletic’s Football Show to explain how he was able to grow his connection with Williams.
Bears TE Colston Loveland Sent a Message on Connection With Caleb Williams
GettyColston Loveland #84 of the Chicago Bears celebrates a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers with quarterback Caleb Williams #18.
Loveland said it was around Week 4 when things started to click between him and Williams.
“It was definitely a long time coming. I wasn’t able to get with him in the summer. After practices, really starting Week 4, we hit every route we needed to hit. If we missed it in practice, we hit it. If we didn’t even get the rep in practice, we hit it.”
Because of that hard work, Loveland has blossomed into one of the league’s premier tight ends, while everyone witnessed just how clutch Williams could be in big moments.
Loveland was the top-rated rookie TE by Pro Football Focus, with them writing, “The first tight end off the board in the 2025 NFL draft, Loveland was immediately one of the NFL’s best at the position, earning an 86.2 PFF receiving grade — bettered by only the 49ers’ George Kittle. His 1.97 yards per route run average trailed only Kittle and the Bills’ Dalton Kincaid.”
He also, according to PFF, had just one drop and a 1.7% drop rate during the regular season, which led all qualified rookie pass-catchers (min. 36 targets).
Williams Receiving Massive Praise From Multiple Players
After having the type of season Williams had in 2025, players aren’t hesitant to share some praise for the Bears QB1.
Kevin Byard, who recently left the Bears for the New England Patriots, didn’t hold back on Williams, saying, “I expect him to be one of the top quarterbacks, if not top two, top three quarterbacks in the league. And I think he got some Super Bowls, you know, in his sights as well. …He’s a clutch player. He has a clutch gene that you literally cannot coach.”
Coby Bryant, who’s replacing Byard, also had some massive praise for Williams.
“With Caleb Williams, just a special talent he is,” Bryant said. “The leader he is. He actually reached out to me, the first person to reach out to me when I did sign. We were texting back and forth, just catching up and getting to know each other. Just telling him what we can build and just going off of that, and for him just reaching out to me, it meant a lot honestly. With me playing safety and him being quarterback, and him recognizing my game and vice versa, elite talent. He’s just scratching the surface. …I’m excited to watch him play and watch him be great this year.”
Big things are in store for Caleb Williams and Colston Loveland in Year 2 of Ben Johnson’s offense.
Bears’ Colston Loveland Sent a Message on Connection With Caleb Williams