LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) – New Bears tight end Colston Loveland buckled his chinstrap from the sideline at rookie minicamp Friday, but he didn't partake in the action.
As 46 players in navy blue and white jerseys worked through practice, Loveland was the odd man out. The No. 10 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Loveland remains sidelined while recovering from shoulder surgery.
“I’m itching to get out there,” Loveland said with a smile.
Loveland underwent surgery in late January, and doctors estimated that a six-month recovery awaited him. If that proves to be the case, Loveland will be cleared to return just as the Bears begin training camp in late July.
For now, Loveland can only watch from the sideline and learn from a mental perspective.
“That's a priority for us, is getting him back healthy,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said. “Because the sooner he gets healthy, then we get the full-speed reps and that's where it really all comes together. It's more mental and we're going to take full opportunity with the time we have with him (during the offseason program) in terms of getting him up to speed with not only what the veterans know mentally but how much can we walk through with him on the side to speed up the learning process.”
Loveland hopes to get work in with a few Bears before the start of training camp. In the six-week break between the end of the offseason program and the start of training camp, Loveland is planning to travel with quarterback Caleb Williams and several teammates to get work in before camp begins.
Until then, Loveland is doing everything in his power to prepare himself for when he’s cleared to take the field.
“The mental reps, they're huge,” Loveland said. “They are just as important – knowing the play, seeing it, literally exactly like I'm in there. It's different doing it obviously. But I'm doing everything I can, taking those mental reps, being in the playbook all the time. Just staying ahead, really.
“We’re going to make sure we get that done.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.