Everyone was completely thrown off their game when the Chicago Bears decided to select Stanford tight end Sam Roush in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but could it end up being a great selection for them?
Roush was praised for being one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL Draft, a role the Bears desperately needed to add after losing Durham Smythe in free agency to the Baltimore Ravens. Stanford tight ends coach Nate Byham talked to The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain about the kind of player the Bears are getting in Roush.
“He pancaked two guys in one play,” Byham said. “He hit the guy square, rolled his hips, snapped through him and sent him launching into a 300-and-some-pound D-lineman and knocked him over as well.”
Sam Roush is going to be a special player for the Bears
Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet are the top two tight ends on the depth chart and great weapons in the passing game. The Bears need a tight end they can rely on to help in the running game, which is something Roush is particularly good at.
Chicago is looking to run more 13 personnel, as the Los Angeles Rams have been doing, which means the team needs to be deep at tight end. Roush may be considered a "third-stringer," but he is going to be more impactful than the Bears think he will be in 2026.
The Bears were the number three rushing attack in the NFL last year and need Roush there to keep it that way. Not only that, but Roush is a pretty good receiver himself and could be used as a decoy to have defenses commit to covering Loveland and Kmet before the rookie.
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There will be a time when Kmet is going to be gone from the team, and Roush will replace him as the second-string tight end, but for the time being, there's a clear role for Roush in this offense, and from what his former coach said, he's going to be very good in it.