Chicago Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland is staying optimistic about his shoulder recovery, but he admits the real test will come once training camp begins.
“It’s been good. There haven’t really been live bullets flying yet. We’ll really know in camp once I get out there, doing a lot more stuff,” Loveland told Aaron McMann of MLive. last week at a youth football camp in Ann Arbor.
Loveland is recovering from offseason AC joint surgery on his shoulder. He didn’t participate fully during the Bears’ offseason workouts but used that time to focus on the mental side of Ben Johnson’s offense. He was even spotted throwing with his left hand, hinting at ongoing caution with the injured shoulder.
In June, Johnson said it was too early to predict if Loveland would be ready for training camp. With rookies set to report Saturday, July 19, the team will soon find out if Loveland can participate fully or needs a slower ramp-up.
Chicago selected Loveland for his ability to stretch defenses and create mismatches. Whether he’s ready to do that right away remains to be seen.
