Colston Loveland started his NFL career on the shelf. That was expected when the Bears drafted the Michigan tight end No. 10 overall in April. He had surgery to repair his shoulder’s AC joint, rendering him unavailable throughout Chicago’s offseason program.

There was no concern about his long-term prognosis, but Loveland’s rehab timetable kept him out of OTAs and minicamp. He was available for meetings, installs and walk-throughs, and he could run routes on air.

Loveland became fully active in training camp and flashed real potential as a receiver and a blocker, but significant improvement was required. We’ve seen Loveland develop and gain confidence before our very eyes this season, which continues Saturday night at Soldier Field against the NFC North rival Green Bay Packers.

“It’s about continuing to keep growing,” Loveland said. “It has been great. It has been a blessing.”

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While many expected Loveland to make an instant impact, it might be larger and more wholistic than many outside Halas Hall expected on draft day.  

“It was a unique situation with him coming off the injury,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Thursday. “It’s a credit to him to get not only healthy again, but at a spot to where he looks very strong.”

So strong, in fact, that he leads the Bears with 455 receiving yards since the Week 5 bye. He also has been an effective — and, at times, devastating — blocker in the run game.

The game-winning catch-and-run touchdown in Week 9 at Cincinnati is his signature moment.

It shouldn’t define his season, though. The trust instilled in those around him should.

“We’ve seen him grow going back to training camp,” fellow Bears tight end Cole Kmet said. “When you get rerouted by a linebacker, it’s a little bit different in the NFL than it is in college. He has continued to excel.

“He’s not only one of the best tight end receiving threats in the league but just receiving threats in general. You look at what he has put on tape and he has been a really crucial player for us when it comes to third downs, fourth downs and executing in those situations. It has been cool to see.”

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Loveland has 39 catches for 498 yards and four touchdowns on 54 targets this season. He has 17 catches for 179 yards and three TDs on 19 third- and fourth-down targets. That’s an 89 percent completion rate, with 12 receptions resulting in a first down.

That performance on critical downs will prompt Bears quarterback Caleb Williams to keep throwing Loveland’s way.  

“I can feel the trust continuing to build between our quarterback and Colston each and every week,” Johnson said, “and I really think we’re just scratching the surface of what Colston’s capable of.”

Johnson is pushing the limits to see how fast Loveland can absorb and apply.

“You come from a place like Michigan, you’re already advanced as a schematic guy. He’s done a lot of things over his college career that you knew were going to translate, and yet he’s learning so fast just the technique aspect of [things],” Johnson said. “I think [Bears tight ends coach] Jim Dray’s done a phenomenal job getting him up to speed. The willingness to block that he showed at Michigan has really translated to this league. He’s going to continue to learn and grow.”

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Loveland’s rapid development has been impressive, even to a super-demanding coach with high standards.

That’s clear in what Johnson is letting Loveland execute. He’s heavily involved in the run game, with 222 of his 545 offensive snaps coming as a run blocker. Translation: Loveland isn’t just a receiving tight end, though he obviously has been impactful in that area. He plays on critical downs and outside of them, while operating in-line, in the slot and out wide, with all the schematic knowledge each of those positions requires.

“I view him as a complete player at this point, and he takes a lot of pride in all facets of what he’s being asked to do,” Johnson said. “Because of that, there’s really a ton we put on his plate from run game to protections to route running, and I’m looking forward to continuing to grow with him over this year and the future.”