What the NFL Draft Told Us About Ben Johnson's Real Plan for the Bears

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson made it quite clear what his plan is for the team's offense during the 2026 NFL Draft.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams. | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears had an interesting Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft that told us a lot about what head coach Ben Johnson plans on doing with his offense in 2026.

Instead of going with defensive picks, the Bears opted to go with three offensive players in center Logan Jones, tight end Sam Roush and wide receiver Zavion Thomas.

But the selection of Roush was the most telling. It was surprising on the surface because the Bears already have two good tight ends in Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland.

But when you dig a bit deeper, this wasn't just a future succession plan for Kmet. The plan was to add a more well-rounded tight end in order to improve Chicago's 13 personnel package, which we believe Johnson will be running a lot more in 2026.

What is 13 personnel?

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

For those unfamiliar, 13 personnel is when a team deploys one running back, one wide receiver and three tight ends.

In 2024, we saw the Pittsburgh Steelers utilizing the formation at a league-high clip of 16.37%, according to Sumer Sports. But Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams blew that rate out of the water last season, utilizing the 13 personnel grouping at a whopping 30.48% rate.

The 13 personnel formation is a great formation to run out of with there being three bigger-bodied tight ends on the field to block in place of one or two more wide receivers. If a team can establish the run out of it and all three of those tight ends are good pass-catchers, that is going to make the grouping even tougher to defend.

The Bears and 13 personnel

Chicago Bears tight ends Colston Loveland (84) and Cole Kmet (85). | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Bears used 13 personnel 8.52% of the time last season. While that doesn't seem like a lot, Chicago's usage increased as the year went on. Even at that rate, the Bears utilized 13 personnel more often than all but four teams.

We know Kmet and Loveland are both good pass-catchers and blockers, checking the two boxes teams want for 13 personnel. Roush fits the mold of being the kind of well-rounded tight end that is an ideal fit for the formation, too.

At Stanford, Roush posted 334 receiving yards and two scores in 2024, and then had his best collegiate season as a pass-catcher in 2025, going for 545 yards.

And, as you'd expect with a massive 6-foot-6, 267-pound tight end, Roush is a good blocker, too. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com explained Roush's versatile skill set in his scouting report.

"In a draft landscape full of pass-catching tight ends, Roush stands out as one of the few plug-and-play “Y” tight ends (in-line blocking TE) available," Zierlein said. "He can make cut-off blocks in zone and combo blocks in gap schemes. He holds his own in pass protection, too. As a receiver, he’s not stiff, but he lacks elusiveness underneath. He needs to apply more of his tough playing style to win combat catches and expand his role beyond run blocker/zone beater."

We also have this quote from an unnamed executive who told The Athletic's Mike Sando that the Bears' rushing attack is going to be even tougher with Roush now in the mix.

“Chicago was really good in the run game this past year, and to get Roush to play tight end, damn, they are going to be able to run some strong-side runs,” an unnamed exec told Mike Sando of The Athletic after the draft. “This guy can block all the defensive ends.”

With Roush, Kmet and Loveland, and with a ground game that was the third-best in the NFL last season, the Bears have a real chance to create nightmares for opposing defenses by utilizing more 13 personnel in 2026.

And, in turn, it helps make things a bit easier for Caleb Williams and a Chicago wide receiver group that doesn't have a ton of experience.