Chicago Bears rookie tight end Sam Roush showed his playmaking ability against the Tennessee Titans in Thursday's joint practice, creating more options for head coach Ben Johnson this season.
As the Chicago Bears' third tight end on the roster, rookie Sam Roush has had a relatively quiet camp.
That was until Thursday's joint practice against the Tennessee Titans at the Vanderbilt Health Football Center.
With backup quarterback Case Keenum leading the offense in an 11-on-11 session, Roush ran a vertical route near the right hash mark. Keenum threw the ball to the 6-foot-5, 267-pound tight end, and Roush jumped in the air to high-point the football and came down the catch.
There haven't been many opportunities for the Bears' tight end to make an explosive play like that down field in training camp, but Roush capitalized on that rep.
And it didn't end there.
Keenum connected with wide receiver Jahdae Walker on a crossing route. Then rookie receiver Zavion Thomas attempted to fight, literally, the entire Titans' defense. Eventually Thomas' teammates came to help and diffuse the situation. Bears head coach Ben Johnson even made his way over to direct players back to their side of the field.
Once the emotions settled down, Roush picked up right where he left off. This time the Bears' tight end ran a vertical route down the left sideline, and Keenum threw a back-shoulder ball in his direction. Roush twisted his body and caught the pass for a touchdown with Titans rookie safety Bishop Fitzgerald in coverage.
The Bears' sideline erupted with excitement.
This was easily Roush's most impactful practice of the summer. He showcased his pass-catching ability, giving head coach Ben Johnson another weapon to exploit matchups in the regular season.
Last season, Durham Smythe served as the team's third tight end. Johnson was the wide receivers coach in Miami when he overlapped with Smythe in 2018. Roush will likely play a similar role in Johnson's offense this season, and the Bears' head coach shared where the rookie tight end stands in his progression toward handling that role before Thursday's joint practice.
"He's building that trust," Johnson said. "There's flashes where he gets you really, really excited. Is it at the level of consistency that we want yet? No. The answer is no. And I'm not surprised by that either. I think he's going to be a phenomenal football player for a long time in this league. It's just there's a lot of thinking. There's a lot on the plate for a rookie tight end. I think it's right up there with quarterback just in terms of the amount of mental strain that we put on these guys. Run game, pass pro, route running. And the faster we can get him to play, the better off he's going to be in the long run. But it's by design, very challenging for him right now. And I know (Tight Ends) Coach (Jim) Dray, (Offensive Assistant Quarterbacks & Tight Ends) Robbie Picazo is in that room, myself. We're very hard on him, and he's answering that call.”
Now Roush is starting to make plays downfield. That's how the rookie can continue to build the trust with the coaching staff and find his role on the team as he prepares for his first season in the NFL.
