Chicago Bears rookie dominating jersey sales despite not practicing

After seeing the Chicago Bears use the No. 10 pick on him, fans have been patiently waiting to see Colston Loveland in action. However, offseason shoulder surgery has kept him off the field during OTAs.

Still, Loveland is expected to be a major part of the offseason. The Bears made him the first tight end selected in the draft for a reason. Fans and analysts have been salivating over the idea of Loveland in head coach Ben Johnson’s offense.

Now, that hype is translating to jersey sales. Despite not being able to show his true potential just yet, Loveland ranks eighth in rookie jersey sales thus far, via Cllct.

NFL rookie jersey sale leaders

1. Shedeur Sanders
2. Travis Hunter

See the full top 10 herehttps://t.co/2T9EcNDunr pic.twitter.com/8kaoeHOJ40

— cllct (@cllctMedia) May 29, 2025

Chicago Bears Colston Loveland drawing plenty of hype 

The Bears shocked many around the NFL when Loveland’s name was called at No. 10. Especially since Tyler Warren, who many considered to be the consensus best tight end option, was still on the board. But Johnson has a clear offensive plan in place and preferred what Loveland brings to the table.

Over his three years at Michigan, Loveland caught 117 passes for 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns. He won the national championship with the Wolverines in 2023 before being named a Second-team All-American in 2024.

The Bears already had Cole Kmet on their roster. He will play more of an in-line role while contributing heavily in both the short game and in the red zone. Loveland will fill a more intermediate role, looking to make plays in space. Overall, Johnson has surely drawn up schemes to incorporate both into the offense.

Fans will continue patiently waiting for Loveland to make his debut. The Bears know it’s more important to have him healthy for the regular season. But eventually, Chicago wants to see exactly what they have in their No. 10 overall pick.

Ben Johnson’s tight end preference 

Throughout the draft process, Loveland was consistently compared to Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, including by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. Based on his draft capital, it seems likely Loveland will fill a similar role in Chicago.

During the 2024 season, LaPorta caught 60 passes for 726 yards and seven touchdowns. He was even better as a rookie, catching 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. Overall, Johnson helped elevate LaPorta into one of the best tight ends in the league.

Once Loveland returns to practice, the trickiest obstacle for Johnson will be finding a way to put all the pieces together. Alongside Kmet, the Bears have a trio of versatile receivers in DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden. Johnson must find a way to keep them all involved in the offense.

Still, Loveland’s arrival should lead to plenty of big plays for Caleb Williams in the offense. When the tight end runs onto Soldier Field, he’s sure to see plenty of fans donning his jersey.