The Chicago Bears turned plenty of heads in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, although not for the best reasons. Despite having glaring needs and holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball, they chose Stanford tight end Sam Roush.
While that's not an indictment of Roush as a player, ignoring their defensive line might come back to haunt general manager Ryan Poles. However, looking at the pick in a vacuum and centering solely on Roush's skill set, the Bears may have landed a great player.
Sam Roush Gives the Bears a Massive Presence
Ben Johnson's offense relies heavily on having multiple tight ends on the field. They ran 13 personnel (three tight ends) on 1,103 plays last season, the second-most in the league behind only the Dallas Cowboys (1,120).
According to Sumersports, the Bears had a 2.24 EPA on 13 personnel, the ninth-highest in the league. With Durham Smythe no longer in the building, they needed someone to join Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet on the field.
Granted, they could've probably addressed this issue later by adding a blocking tight end, or maybe even going after someone in free agency. Then again, from a skills and physical tools perspective, Roush gives Johnson the physicality he loves. Also, Kmet could still be on his way out of the team, and they've now added some insurance behind Loveland.
Roush is an absolute unit of a human being. Standing at 6-foot-6 and 267 pounds, he's a perennial mismatch, especially in the end zone. He dominated in out routes during his final year in college, making the most of his athleticism and big frame to manhandle his opposition, and he can also contribute on special teams.
In 48 collegiate games at Stanford, he had 119 receptions for 1,201 receiving yards, four touchdowns, and 10.1 yards per reception.
More than that, Roush is a relentless blocker who's not going to hesitate to put his body on the line to stop a player from gaining even half a yard. He boasts the type of killer mindset that Johnson has preached for his team since the start of the offseason.
Granted, it's easy to feel frustrated by the fact that the Bears could've and should've gone in an entirely different direction with their third-round pick, and doubling down on offense by taking a wide receiver with their next selection didn't do much to help.
That said, Roush should have plenty of opportunities to endear himself to Bears fans and make them change their minds about him. He's a work in progress and, like with all rookies, there will be a learning curve and some growing pains. However, all will be forgotten once he opens running lanes for D'Andre Swift or climbs the ladder against defenders for a score.
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