Ryan Poles revamped the roster, but a blocking tight end from Stanford could be the secret key to unlocking Chicago’s heavy offensive personnel packages this season.
The Chicago Bears are going to look a lot different at multiple positions this year.
Starters from last year's team like Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Nahshon Wright, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, D.J. Moore, Tremaine Edmunds and Drew Dalman are no longer with the organization.
The Bears had a lot of holes to fill in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft.
General Manager Ryan Poles made big moves for Seattle Seahawks safety Coby Bryant, New England Patriots center Garrett Bradbury and linebacker Devin Bush.
Then in the draft, he selected Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, Iowa center Logan Jones, Stanford tight end Sam Roush, LSU receiver Zavion Thomas, Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad, Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and Georgia Tech defensive tackle Jordan Van Den Berg.
The floor of this Bears' rookie class is to be competent backups for the near future. Poles knew what he was doing, and it became clear that he was preparing for the future with many of the picks.
One pick stood out to ESPN as a very underrated move, and it's not the obvious choice. If you've been paying attention to the numbers, you'd know that the Bears are moving towards running a lot of 12 and 13-man personnel, which means multiple tight ends are on the field.
Outside of Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet, Durham Smythe was the No. 3 tight end. Now that he's gone, Roush is the favorite to play that role, making him ESPN's choice for the most underrated move the Bears made this offseason.
"The Bears ran 501 plays with multiple tight ends last season, which was the third most of any team," ESPN said. "Roush takes on the role occupied last season by Durham Smythe, which allowed Chicago to be in 13 personnel (one RB, one WR, three TEs) on 9% of their plays (fifth in NFL). The Stanford grad's biggest attribute is his blocking. While Loveland and Cole Kmet will account for most of the tight end targets in the passing game, Roush projects to make a sizable impact as a rookie given how often Johnson utilizes his tight ends in a multitude of ways."
Roush has an opportunity to improve upon his role with the Bears in the near future as well. Kmet's contract is set to expire in 2028, which means that Roush could be the next man up if the Bears decide not to re-sign him.
For now, Roush has a valuable role when the Bears line up in 12 or 13-man personnel now that Smythe is no longer with the franchise. We've seen how Loveland flourished in Ben Johnson's offense last year.
It isn't crazy to think that Roush could have a similar impact as a rookie in 2026.
