The Chicago Bears appeared to draft two immediate starters with their first selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, landing safety Dillon Thieneman in the first round and center Logan Jones in the second round. The following few rounds have proven to be a bit more of an adventure.
The selection of Stanford tight end Sam Roush in the third round was considered solid value, but a weird fit due to their positional logjam at tight end. Likewise, linebacker Keyshaun Elliott was thought of as a similar proposition when Chicago picked him in the fifth round.
The Bears made these picks after seemingly locking their tight end room in for the next few years with Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet and signing multiple veterans, including Jack Sanborn, to form one of the deepest linebacker rooms after the loss of Tremaine Edmunds.
Adding Roush and Elliott to the room may have some major depth chart implications, so much so that both Kmet and Sanborn could be on their way out of town sooner than expected to make room for these young guns.
Bears' NFL Draft picks could be bad for Cole Kmet, Jack Sanborn
Sanborn's appeal is that he can be a two-down thumper between the tackles, which is exactly where Elliott thrives. With Noah Sewell working his way back from an injury, D'Marco Jackson needing to prove himself, and Ruben Hyppolite off an anonymous rookie year, Elliott could make some noise.
While Chicago certainly has a crowded linebacker room, picking Elliott could be a sign that they viewed him as the best player available. This coaching staff seems willing to put developmental energy into making him work, which is not good news for a cheap vet like Sanborn.
Roush is the bigger question mark of the two, and it's not based on his ability. Even if the Bears run lots of two-tight-end sets, it remains hard to see how Roush, Loveland, and Kmet all managed to get on the field at the same time. It seems like one of two scenarios will come to fruition.
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In the first, Roush will essentially take 2026 as a redshirt year while Loveland and Kmet eat up most of the snaps. In the second, Kmet will end up on his way out of town, establishing Roush as the No. 2 tight end behind Loveland. Poles didn't pick Roush in the top-70 to have him sit on the bench.
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