Projecting How Bears' Rookie TE Sam Roush Will Perform in 2026

Unlike the selection of Dillon Thieneman, who was widely considered a steal at 25th overall, in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears went against the grain in the third round. Nobody expected them to land on Stanford tight end Sam Roush with the 69th pick.

At 6'6" and 270 lbs., Roush was one of the most imposing tight ends in this year's class. That size shows up between the hashes, too. He's the premier blocker among all rookie TEs and is a real threat between the hashes.

He also has sneaky athleticism for a player of his size. Roush rumbled his way to a 4.7-second 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Sam Roush runs the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine — Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Stanford tight end Sam Roush (TE21) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

This is our third rookie season prediction piece for Chicago's 2026 NFL Draft class. I pegged Thieneman as a potential surprise Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate and said Logan Jones should grab the starting job relatively quickly in his rookie season.

Does Roush have a chance to make a similar impact in one of the league's premier tight end rooms?

Roush may be buried on the depth chart, but he'll have a defined role

Sam Roush running with the ball — Sep 27, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal tight end Sam Roush (86) stiff arms San Jose State Spartans linebacker Noah McNeal-Franklin (9) during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Not many teams have a promising third option at the tight end position. However, very few teams have an offensive mastermind (with a TE fetish) calling the shots as the head coach. Even fewer have enough gumption to use a day two pick one year after using a top ten pick on another player at the position.

While Roush might not have bankable fantasy production, there's little doubt that they'll have a plan for him. Durham Smythe saw the field 25% of the time last season, and the Bears ran 13 personnel (which features three TEs on the field) 8.52% of the time last season. That was the fourth-highest mark in the league, and it feels safe to assume they have higher hopes for the position group with the addition of Roush.

Roush will definitely play a key role in three tight end sets. It also wouldn't be surprising to see him playing in-line opposite (or alongside) Cole Kmet with Colston Loveland playing in the slot or even on the perimeter. The league's best offensive coordinators take advantage of mismatches, and Roush's size and versatility gives them significantly more alignment versatility than they would otherwise have.

I'd be shocked if Roush puts up a robust stat line in year one. There are just far too many mouths to feed in Chicago's passing attack, and he'll be no higher than fifth (which feels optimistic in itself) in the pecking order.

Nevertheless, his impact will be felt well beyond the stat sheets. I think he'll play around 360 snaps (many of which will be running plays), which is 70 more than Durham Smythe played last year, and be borderline dominant in the blocking game. He also should be much more of a receiving target than Smythe was and should blow his four catches for 25 yards out of the water.

Projection: 360 snaps, 25 catches, 270 yards, 3 TDs

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Roush may be buried on the depth chart, but he'll have a defined role

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