The Chicago Bears lost 27-9 to the Cincinnati Bengals in their second preseason game on Aug. 22. It was sloppy, undisciplined, and largely forgettable. However, one play told a different story entirely.
On a play-action drag route at the end of the first quarter, third-string quarterback Case Keenum hit rookie tight end Sam Roush crossing the field. What happened after the catch was the part worth remembering. Roush turned upfield and ran through defenders for a 26-yard gain. Though he only had one more catch for four yards the rest of the game, his athleticism stood out.
It was a small sample, but it was a glimpse of exactly why Ben Johnson took Roush in the third round.
Johnson Drafted Roush for a Reason
When the Bears selected Roush out of Stanford with the 69th-overall pick, there were mixed reactions among the fans. Chicago already has Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet. Why spend a third-round pick on a third tight end when the roster had other needs?
Johnson’s answer was simple. He said he would play all three together.
“We feel like we got one of the more complete tight ends that this draft had to offer,” Johnson said after the pick.
General Manager Ryan Poles had a similar sentiment to his head coach. “That was important to us to add a ‘Y’ to the group,” Poles stated. “We’ll have a really strong room there.”
The numbers back it up. Roush posted a 9.94 Relative Athletic Score out of a possible 10.00, ranking him in the top ten among tight ends since 1987. At Stanford, he improved every year, compiling 119 receptions and 1,200 yards across four seasons as a starter. This includes 49 catches for 545 yards in his senior year, leading all ACC tight ends in both categories.
But it was not the receiving numbers that sold Johnson. It was the blocking.
“It didn’t matter who he was blocking — could be a big guy, could be a little DB — and he consistently finished through the whistle each and every play,” Johnson said.
The Bears Are Built to Use Three Tight Ends
This is where Roush’s role becomes less about replacing anyone and more about unlocking something new.
In Johnson’s first season as head coach, the Bears ranked in the top five in both 12 personnel (two tight ends) and 13 personnel (three tight ends) usage. Even with Loveland and Kmet both playing 16 of 17 games, third tight end Durham Smythe was still on the field for 293 snaps, good for 25 percent of the offensive total.
Now replace Smythe with Roush, a significantly more athletic player, and Johnson has even more flexibility within his offense.
“I think if you ask coach, the more the merrier in that tight end room,” said Bears director of player personnel Trey Koziol. “The nice thing with Sam is that he’s got the versatility to play both in-line and off the ball. So now all of a sudden, you’ve got three versatile tight ends who can each do a little bit of everything.”
Johnson’s offensive philosophy revolves around making “the same things look different and different things look the same.” Three tight ends who can each line up in-line, flex out wide, or motion across the formation makes that philosophy harder to defend. Which tight end is the receiver and which ones are blocking? Good luck figuring it out.
Where Roush Fits Behind Loveland and Kmet
Undoubtedly, Loveland is the starting tight end. The second-year pro out of Michigan caught 58 passes for 713 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie, becoming the first Bears rookie to lead the team in receiving yards since Willie Gault in 1983 and the first rookie tight end to do so since Mike Ditka in 1961. He is projected to take another significant leap in year two.
Kmet remains the veteran presence. The former Notre Dame product signed a $50 million extension and brings reliability, experience, and polished route-running that Roush has not yet developed.
Roush’s role is different. He is not here to catch a ton of passes. Instead, he is here to make the run game more physical, give Caleb Williams more time in the pocket, and create mismatches that defenses cannot plan for when all three tight ends share the field.
Offensive coordinator Press Taylor noted after the preseason opener that Roush “made his presence felt in the run game, which is something we wanted to see,” while acknowledging there is room for growth in the passing game.
Saturday’s 26-yard catch-and-run against the Bengals suggests that growth may already be ahead of schedule.
Roush Is Not the Only Rookie Fighting for Reps
It is also worth keeping an eye on Hayden Large, the undrafted free agent out of Iowa who has quietly turned heads throughout camp.
Large lined up at fullback for the Hawkeyes and brings an old-school blocking mentality that fits Johnson’s physical offensive identity. In fact, on Roush’s big play, Large was a key blocker who allowed Roush to gain some additional yardage.
Large’s story alone — tearing his hamstring and a piece of his pelvic bone in high school, spending 35 days on bed rest, and walking on at Iowa — makes him impossible not to root for.
If Chicago carries four tight ends on the 53-man roster — and the increased 13 personnel usage suggests they should — Large has a real shot at that final spot.
Roush Can Be Another X-Factor Johnson Has Been Building Toward
Last September, Kyle Monangai emerged as the unexpected seventh-round rookie who could change the way Johnson called plays. The argument then was that a complementary backup running back could unlock the play-action game that made Johnson’s offense so effective in Detroit.
The argument with Roush is similar, just from a different position. A third tight end who can block like a lineman and catch like a receiver gives Johnson the kind of versatility that turns a good offense into a schematic nightmare.
Chicago already has the weapons — Loveland, Kmet, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, D’Andre Swift, Monangai, and a solid offensive line. What Roush adds is the ability to put them all in positions where defenses have no good answer.
Two catches and 30 yards will not make any highlight reels. But the way Roush got 26 of those 30 yards — and what it means for an offense that wants to play three tight ends more than almost any team in the league — should have Bears fans paying very close attention.
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