When the Chicago Bears selected tight end Sam Roush in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, it stunned the fan base and left them straight up confused.
The Bears already have Colston Loveland, who appears to be a star in the making, and Cole Kmet, the reliable veteran. There were questions about why Roush would be added to the roster when he is being viewed as a backup. Many Bears fans' first thought was that Roush would replace Kmet either this season or next year, while the plan became clear that the Bears might actually use all three tight ends at once in the offense through 13 personnel.
While trust needs to be built between the fan base and Roush, the biggest asset for him is that he's the blocking tight end the Bears needed. One more thing he can work to improve might make him even more of a dangerous weapon than Loveland.
Which part of Sam Roush's game needs to be improved to make him elite?
Everyone knows about the blocking skills Roush brings to the table, as he was arguably the best at it among the tight ends in the draft. The Bears fan base would like to see him become the full package at tight end, though.
His pass-catching skills are better than what he is given credit for, but an area that needs to be developed in his game. Last year was actually a great season for him as he finished with 49 receptions for 545 yards and two touchdowns with Stanford.
If Roush can keep building upon what he has done as a receiver, this could be a massive game-changer for the Bears. Not only would that open the door to what they can do on offense, but it might change some of their decision-making off it.
Roush becoming a great receiver might open the door for the Bears to finally trade Kmet and collect a Day 3 draft pick while saving some money. That would move Roush up as the number two tight end behind Loveland and add another blocking tight end to be TE3. The Bears would be locked in at tight end for the next five years with two great young talents there.
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While there were other needs the Bears needed to fill, it was clear they felt Roush could fix a couple of issues on the roster. If he can become a great pass catcher, Chicago's offense becomes that much more elite in 2026.
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