The Chicago Bears drafted strong players at positions of need in Rounds 1 and 2 of the NFL draft last month, but then went a bit off the board with tight end Sam Roush.
Chicago selected Roush with the No. 69 overall pick in Round 3 after adding safety Dillon Thieneman at No. 25 and center Logan Jones at No. 57. Dane Brugler of The Athletic afforded Roush a third-to-fourth-round grade heading into the draft, so the Bears’ decision to target him early in Round 3 wasn’t a huge leap from where the consensus of analysts expected him to go.
However, Chicago already has Colston Loveland, the No. 10 pick in 2025, and Cole Kmet on a $50 million contract. The team’s roster, plus the Bears’ obvious needs at multiple positions on the defensive line, rendered the decision to spend early third-round capital on a third TE somewhat eyebrow-raising.
But after closer consideration in the context of the type of offensive sets Ben Johnson likes to run, ESPN dubbed the decision to draft Roush as the Bears’ most underrated move of the 2026 offseason.
“The Bears ran 501 plays with multiple tight ends last season, which was the third most of any team,” ESPN wrote. “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.”
Bears Likely to Run More Multiple-TE Sets Than Most of NFL Next Season
GettyChicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
The league in general is shifting toward more 13-personnel and that, in part, led to a run on tight ends that began in the middle of Round 2 and carried on through Round 3 (eight TEs selected between picks 54-95). In that context, Chicago’s decision to get in on the sub-trend before the talent dried up made sense.
Beyond that, the Bears’ offensive revitalization in Johnson’s first year at the helm last season came by way of a transformed ground game to complement second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. Chicago finished the campaign with an average of 144.5 yards per game on the ground, which ranked third in the league.
Some of that was owed to scheme and play design, while multi-tight end sets also factored into the team’s success on the ground. However, an overhaul of the offensive line last offseason also made a significant impact, though developments this offseason are liable to hurt the cohesiveness of the group, which is a potential point of regression for the Bears in 2026.
Bears’ Offensive Line Impacted by Injuries, Departures This Offseason
GettyChicago Bears left tackle Braxton Jones.
In that regard, adding another blocking tight end in Roush makes considerable sense, even if doing so cost the Bears an early third-round pick they might have otherwise used on a second-tier rookie pass-rusher or reinforcements to the defensive tackle position.
Center Drew Dalman made the first Pro Bowl of his career after arriving in Chicago via free agency last spring, but then abruptly retired this offseason. The Bears’ selection of Jones in Round 2 was a direct result of Dalman’s unexpected call, while the team also traded for Garret Bradbury.
Meanwhile, left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, a second-round rookie in 2025 who graduated into the role of starter down the stretch of last season, suffered a torn patellar tendon in the Bears’ Wildcard Round win over the Green Bay Packers in January’s playoffs.
Trapilo is unlikely to return until late next year, which leaves considerable questions on the left side of the line, where Braxton Jones is back on a one-year deal and the Bears took a flier former Cleveland Browns first-round pick/bust Jedrick Wills Jr. after he sat out all of 2025 due to health concerns.
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