Aaron Rodgers' ex-teammate hails Bears' $26,635,998 rookie as "MAJOR asset" for Ben Johnson's offense

Aaron Rodgers' former Packers teammate Kurt Benkert was full of praise for Bears' rookie Colston Loveland, whom new head coach Ben Johnson made the first draft pick of his tenure. Coming from a former divisional rival, one must assume that the former Green Bay player is really excited by what is happening in Chicago. Kurt Benkert wrote on X,

"After meeting #Bears TE Colston Loveland I get why they took him Top 10... Absolute unit, knows ball, and can play a bunch of different spots... I believe he’s going to be a MAJOR asset for that offense."

Bears HC Ben Johnson has high praise for rookie Colston Loveland

The good news for Colston Loveland is that it is not just Kurt Benkert saying great things about him. The most important man in the Bears' building right now is Ben Johnson, who has been tasked with reviving a moribund offense. The Chicago head coach was full of praise for their rookie tight end, saying he was very impressed with how level-headed he was. He said,

"With Colston it starts more with the person than the player. I love the tape, but when you get to know him as a man, it's really intriguing. It's who we want to be going forward. He stands for high football character and IQ. When we went to Michigan everyone was raving about him, you could tell he was very well respected. Going from Idaho to the big stage, he didn't bat an eye."

Ben Johnson further drew comparisons between the new recruit and his former tight end, Sam LaPorta, with whom the then-Lions' offensive coordinator drew up some exciting plays in Detroit. He continued,

"I do see a lot of comparisons to LaPorta, but that's not just on the field, that's off the field as well. The stage was never too bright for LaPorta, and I felt that same thing with Colston the first time I met him. He doesn't bat an eye, he performs at a high level, and where we are going in this organization, we need guys who are going to rise up to the occasion and he's going to do that for us."

From his side, Loveland had high praise for Ben Johnson, too, declaring,

"He knows what he's doing...I know he's gonna put us in great positions to win games."

It looks to be the start of a fruitful partnership, and for a former Packers player to say it of the Bears shows that it could develop into something special.