Luther Burden and Colston Loveland making 'big jump' in 2026, says Bears HC

Ben Johnson doesn't hand out compliments on a whim, so when he's talking up two players before OTAs have even started, it's worth paying attention.

The Chicago Bears' head coach recently namechecked wide receiver Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland as two players who've already caught his eye.

Luther Burden III: Moore's targets are his now

Long-term expectations were high when Luther Burden was selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but with D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze ahead of him in the pecking order, few expected him to burst out of the gate.

And so it proved. Burden showed a glimpse of his talent with a 100+ yard game against the Cowboys in Week 3, but it was sandwiched between three other games in which he managed a grand total of four receptions for minus two yards.

As the season wore on, Burden became a favourite of quarterback Caleb Williams, and he ended the year with forty-seven catches, 652 yards, and two touchdowns.

What may be lost on some is that he achieved that feat on 60 targets. Moore, meanwhile, had 85, and Moore is no longer on the team, having left to join the Buffalo Bills. 

Nobody's come in to replace those targets, meaning 2026 is essentially Burden's audition as a genuine lead weapon.

"What I've grown to love about him is this guy loves football," Johnson said in March.

"He is a dynamic playmaker," Johnson continued. "He's got some of the best run after catch in the game right now. I really believe that.

"We need to continue to get the ball in his hands as often as we possibly can."

Colston Loveland: Great rookie year was only the start

713 yards, 58 catches and six touchdowns are excellent numbers for a rookie tight end still learning the speed of the pro game.

Loveland sat behind Cole Kmet in snaps, but from Week 7 onward, he emerged as a true difference-maker and never looked back.

Among all tight ends, the rookie ranked 13th in receiving yards and tied for eighth in touchdowns, a great return in year one, even for a player drafted 10th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.

If Johnson's assertion that "Colston's made a big jump" is to be believed, last year was just the tip of the iceberg for the 22-year-old.

Williams was equally effusive about Loveland recently.

New OC, same offense

Declan Doyle left for Baltimore in February, and Johnson handed the offensive coordinator role to Press Taylor, who'd spent 2025 as Chicago's passing game coordinator.

Taylor already knows this offense inside out, already knows these players, and according to Johnson, already has the room's respect.

"He's the most organised coach I've ever been around at this level," Johnson said at the NFL owners meetings in March.

"He's got libraries of plays. He knows when we're going against this defensive coordinator, we can go to this little section that he's already got labelled for that guy."

Kmet suggested the connection between former OC Doyle and Taylor should make the transition seamless, observing that, "him and Declan were always side by side."

He continued by crediting Taylor's attention to detail.

"He's very detailed. He brings a lot of energy as a young guy, understands what the foundations of the offense are."

For Burden, Loveland, and the rest of the offense, that continuity is crucially important. They're not breaking in a new system; they're just getting better within the one they already know.

The Bears' offensive outlook in 2026

In February, quarterback Williams laid out his big plans for 2026, appearing on The Rush Podcast and revealing, "I really want to become the greatest offense this year."

He's set a target of eclipsing the mark set by the Denver Broncos in 2013, when Peyton Manning's 55 touchdowns helped Denver to a record 37.9 points per game.

It's a lofty goal for what remains a young group of players still in their ascending phase, but if Burden and Loveland can make the leap Johnson expects, the Bears' offense could be something special.