Colston Loveland doesn’t need to see it, declining the opportunity to view a 13-second clip of his final catch of an impressive rookie season. Loveland remembers the sequence vividly. Late fourth quarter. Divisional-round playoff game at Soldier Field. Less than two minutes remaining with the Chicago Bears fighting to erase the Los Angeles Rams’ 17-10 lead. And driving.Eight days earlier, Loveland had put his fingerprints all over the franchise’s first playoff victory in 15 years, contributing eight catches, 137 yards and a crucial 2-point conversion grab to a wild 31-27 comeback win over the Green Bay Packers.One step closer to the Bears’ ultimate playoff goal, the rookie tight end again had himself ready to be a go-to guy in the clutch. Then came his final play. Strike route from the right slot. Smooth release and a burst into a gap in the Rams’ zone.Quarterback Caleb Williams’ throw jumped at Loveland, hitting him in stride inside a triangle of defenders. Gain of 18. First down.All eyes are on Caleb Williams entering Year 2 under Ben JohnsonKevin FishbainBut as Loveland went to the ground, his neck whipped. The back of his helmet bounced off the ice-glazed grass. He was dazed, trying to stand up quickly, then lying back down. At the climax of a thrilling playoff showdown, Loveland’s season had just ended. He ambled off the field and was corralled for a concussion evaluation. That’s where he was a few moments later, still inside a blue tent on the Bears sideline with no eyes on the night’s most jaw-dropping moment.“I didn’t see it,” Loveland said. “I heard it, though.”Williams to tight end Cole Kmet. Fourth-and-everything. Eighteen seconds left. Touchdown. Tie game. Overtime.“I just wanted to get back out there and continue to make plays,” Loveland said.But at the climax of an unforgettable season, he couldn’t. He was ruled out. And when an exhilarating night ended with a dispiriting 20-17 season-ending loss, Chicago was instead left with a bunch of “What ifs?”What if Loveland had been available for the Bears’ 10 offensive overtime snaps? What if the Bears’ final series of the season had included just one more big play from their talented tight end? What if that drive had snuck inside field goal range rather than ending with crossed wires and a killer interception that led to the Rams’ game-winning drive?If Loveland felt any temptation to live inside those haunting hypotheticals, he quashed that long ago. The present and future are far too important to live inside the past.“You just have to accept it,” Loveland said. “Accept it and move on. I wish I had been out there. Obviously. But I know I can’t go back and change it.”“What if” has given way to “What’s next?”The first big moment of Colston Loveland’s rookie year came with a game-winning touchdown against the Bengals. He’s looking for more in 2026. (Dylan Buell / Getty Images)The next chapterAs the Bears move forward, immersed in training camp and hell-bent on returning to the postseason, Loveland knows he will be asked to carry a heavier load.Following his 58-catch, 713-yard, six-touchdown season, Williams has become one of Loveland’s top endorsers, setting the highest bar for where their journey can go. After the first practice of camp last week, the Bears quarterback lauded Loveland for his route-running polish, massive catch radius and versatility.By Friday, the duo seemed totally in sync, connecting for a 14-yard touchdown during an end-of-half two-minute period after earlier offering the day’s most impressive highlight: a Williams touch pass with Loveland making a leaping grab over the top of linebacker Devin Bush.“He can be the best tight end in the league,” Williams said.The Bears intend to feature Loveland both as a dynamic pass catcher and as a rapidly improving run blocker. In the quest to more heavily lean into two- and three-tight-end sets, Loveland understands the vision of coach Ben Johnson and appreciates the presence of veteran Kmet and rookie Sam Roush in his position room.“Having athletic, versatile tight ends like we have, it throws defenses off,” Loveland said. “You just have the potential at all times to create mismatches and capitalize. It’s super tricky. We’re in a good spot as far as that goes.”The Bears also remain in a good spot with Loveland’s Type-A mentality. As productive and encouraging as his first NFL season was, Loveland has taken it upon himself to raise the bar.“It’s watching the tape,” he said, “and knowing (the performance) was good for a rookie, but it’s not going to be good enough for a second-year or third-year guy.”For example, he has identified opportunities to be more aggressive and commanding in run blocking.“(Maybe) it’s like a stalemate or I’m just kind of hanging on,” Loveland said. “Our runner’s not getting touched or whatever. I’m doing my job, technically. But it’s not good enough to put on tape. I think you need to put dominant, really good stuff on tape — really dominating someone, moving someone. That’s the next step.”Great expectationsIf Loveland’s rookie season was an orientation to the intensity of the NFL, it also offered an introduction to the talented quarterback (Williams) he hopes to be playing with for years to come; to the astute head coach (Johnson) who will be designing plays for him for the foreseeable future; to the city (Chicago) that is his new home and pumps with football passion.In Williams, Loveland noted, he has a leader willing to throw his body around, a quarterback with special grit in the clutch and a partner he can ideally unite with well into the 2030s.“Caleb is so talented,” Loveland said. “But he is also so passionate about this. He cares so much. And you see it regularly; that he’d do anything to get that next win. How would you not want to ride with a guy like that and catch footballs from someone like that?”Similarly, how would Loveland not want to ride behind a head coach like Johnson, who creates purpose within every day for everybody?“Just super intense,” Loveland said. “And one of the most detailed people I have ever been around. That, to me, speaks volumes about how he wants his operation run. And seeing firsthand the way he got everyone around him on the same page, it was like, ‘Yeah, this is a guy I want to play for and get behind.’”And Chicago? A Bears-crazed city whose gusto he watched come alive all last season?“Super cool to feel that,” Loveland said. “This is football. Everyone should be loving it. Everyone should get that rush of seeing their team win. You appreciate that.”It all leads Loveland to an easy conclusion. A window of opportunity seems to be wide open. And no matter how disheartening last season’s finish was, there’s a blend of gratitude and purpose pushing him forward.“Where else would you rather be?” Loveland said.