One of the more interesting picks that the Chicago Bears have made so far under Ben Johnson was Sam Roush in the third round. He is currently set to be the Bears' third tight end, and with needs at other spots, many fans thought that the team would go in another direction. However, Johnson was clear when asked about Roush last week at rookie mini camps that Roush not only was the best player available, but he fit a position of need.
Did the Chicago Bears need to draft Roush?
When asked about the pick, he went on to say that Roush still has better football ahead of him, and the ability to have a third tight end as good as Roush is a true game-changer.
Ben Johnson on Sam Roush and running 2 or 3 TE sets:
— Depressed Bears Fan (@DepBearsFan) May 10, 2026
“We feel like we got one of the more complete tight ends that this draft had to offer . . . The flexibility that tight ends give you, I think it adds a dimension to your offense.” pic.twitter.com/euvTEIR4iY
This will be interesting to follow. As far as the best player on the board, this can be argued reasonably by the tight end run that happened. Eight tight ends were drafted in a little over 40 picks. Then, there was a 40-pick delay before the next tight end went off the board. So, it was clear that there was a tier gap, and teams had to make their move to get a capable tight end within that gap.
The Bears took him after Eli Stowers, Nate Boerkircher, Marlin Klein, and Max Klare. He went ahead of Oscar Delp, Will Kacmarek, and Eli Raridon to close out the tier. So, it is clear that this is the position that was being valued, and since they were all so closely graded, the Bears may have had Roush as the next best tight end in this entire group, and he went fifth in this tier of tight ends. They saw value they could not pass up.
Beyond that, the more interesting thought is how much three tight ends sets the team can run. Roush could be better than Kmet as soon as next year, but it is hard to see that happening when Roush is a rookie. Still, they need to get him on the field. The Bears third wide receiver is not the greatest position in the world, so the team could end up leaning into more Roush than someone like Khaliff Raymond or Zavion Thomas.
If they lean into this group and it leads to success, the pick is going to look good. If the team moves off of Kmet next year, and Roush is the perfect number two tight end, the pick will look good. There are more paths to success than some fans thought.
| More Bears News and Rumors |
Add us as a preferred source on Google