The initial shock of the Chicago Bears selecting Stanford tight end Sam Roush in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft was met with criticism, since they already have Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet, but the move made a lot more sense than what was being discussed.
A huge aspect of Roush's game is that he's a great blocker and arguably the best at it in the draft class. That's why ESPN published an article calling Roush's selection the most underrated move the Bears made all offseason.
"The Bears ran 501 plays with multiple tight ends last season, which was the third most of any team. Roush takes on the role occupied last season by Durham Smythe, which allowed Chicago to be in 13 personnel (one RB, one WR, three TEs) on 9% of their plays (fifth in NFL). The Stanford grad's biggest attribute is his blocking."
"While Loveland and Cole Kmet will account for most of the tight end targets in the passing game, Roush projects to make a sizable impact as a rookie given how often Johnson utilizes his tight ends in a multitude of ways."
Sam Roush's selection was massive for the Bears' future
Loveland and Kmet are seen as the receiving tight ends, but in today's NFL, more offenses want to run 13 personnel and have three tight ends on the field at once. Roush is the perfect fit for that kind of offense, as when Loveland and Kmet are running routes, Roush is back blocking and protecting Caleb Williams from getting hit.
This is an important move for the future as well, with Kmet seen as a candidate to be cut or traded in 2026 or the 2027 offseason. Roush is an underrated pass catcher at tight end and can do it all if asked to. Watch for Roush to be the future backup to Loveland for a long time.
Read more: ESPN's callout for most surprising Bears offseason move might doom 2026 season
Some Bears fans might still not be the biggest fans of the move, but it does help the offense roll back in the future.
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