Sam

Roush

The Bears now have all of their rookies under contract with the signing of Roush, mere weeks before the start of training camp. The selection of another tight end in the third round turned heads during the draft, but another athletic and well-rounded option at the position gives head coach Ben Johnson further flexibility to run higher rates of 12 and 13-personnel in the coming year. Roush brings a tantalizing athletic profile to the professional ranks, although he likely needs to improve his blocking abilities to carve out a significant role behind Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet during his rookie campaign.

A true tight end’s tight end, Roush (6’6/267), does a little bit of everything without one elite trait. He peaked at 49 catches for 545 yards and two scores as a senior. Those two scores make up half of his collegiate touchdowns. The low scoring total could, in part, be explained by Roush’s struggles on contested targets, of which he secured just 47 percent. Roush isn’t a mauling blocker, but he handled his business in the trenches at Stanford and his massive frame will make the NFL transition a bit easier. His elite athletic measurable — highlighted by a 4.7 40 — will also make the leap to pro completion more manageable. Roush simply needs to play to his size more as a blocker and at the catch point. He will begin his career behind Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland. Roush won’t be a threat to Loveland, but he could take on Kmet’s role as a blocker and TE2 in Chicago after 2026.

Roush (6'5"/240) will also enroll early with the Cardinals. It’s a very nice get, as Roush is the 11th ranked TE in the class, and the eighth ranked player out of Tennessee. Roush projects as an excellent pass catcher, and has NFL potential. He’s the fifth highest rated player in Stanford’s current No. 1 PAC-12 class.