Chicago Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland spent his first NFL offseason as an observer after surgery to repair an AC joint injury in his shoulder. The question is how much he'll participate when training camp opens.
During a youth football camp in Ann Arbor last week, the Michigan product was unsure how much he'll be able to do out of the gate.
"It's been good. There haven't really been live bullets flying yet," Loveland said of his recovery, via Aaron McMann of MLive. "We'll really know in camp once I get out there, doing a lot more stuff."
During offseason workouts, Loveland spent time learning the mental aspect of the game without taking full reps in coach Ben Johnson's offense. At one point during his youth camp, he was seen throwing with his left hand, a speculative indicator that he could still be brought along slowly. Back in June, Johnson said he wasn't looking "that far ahead" when asked if Loveland would be ready for training camp.
The Bears drafted the pass-catching tight end to be another weapon in Johnson's offense, one who can win over the middle and stretch defenses down the seam. For now, the addition has been hypothetical. We'll soon see if the lingering injury from his final collegiate season holds the rookie back at the start of camp or if he's able to hit the ground running.
Bears rookies report for training camp on Saturday, July 19.
