The Chicago Bears opted to trade back for more draft capital than to put their second of two second-round picks (No. 60) following a significant run on edge rushers earlier in the round on the second day of the 2026 NFL draft.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Bears traded their No. 60 overall pick in the second round to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for an early third-rounder (No. 69) and an early selection in the fifth round (No. 144), in which they had no picks.
The Bears had acquired the 60th pick from the Buffalo Bills in their offseason DJ Moore trade. The Titans used the selection to draft Texas middle linebacker Anthony Hill Jr.
Six edge rushers came off the board before the Bears were on the clock at No. 57 overall on the second day of the draft, including Clemson’s T.J. Parker (No. 35), Oklahoma’s R. Mason Thomas (No. 40), Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell (No. 41), Missouri’s Zion Young (No. 45) and Illinois’ Gabe Jacas (No. 55) — who went just two picks before theirs.’
Instead, the Bears moved back from No. 60 and made a largely unexpected choice.
Bears Select Stanford TE Sam Roush With No. 69 Pick
The initial assumption was that the Bears were moving back from No. 60 to No. 69 because they did not like their available defensive line choice at that particular value and liked their chances of getting one of their preferred options in the third round.
No one was expecting the Bears to do what they did with the 69th pick, though.
Rather than continue to invest in defense, as they did on Day 1, the Bears kept their focus on offense and selected Stanford tight end Sam Roush, a move that baffled fans given the presence of emergent star Colston Loveland — the No. 10 pick in 2025 — and veteran Cole Kmet, who just had his 2026 roster spot locked with a contract rework.
Roush had his best of four seasons at Stanford in 2025, catching 49 passes for 545 yards and two touchdowns but also dropping seven passes — all of which were career highs.
For Bears fans, this is going to have to be an “In Ben Johnson We Trust” selection until proven otherwise. The Bears seemed to have greater needs at defensive end and tackle, linebacker, cornerback and wide receiver than tight end, but Johnson clearly has a hand in the decision-making about offensive personnel. Maybe he has a different vision.
Bears Went Offense First on Night 2 of 2026 NFL Draft
The Bears saw more value in trading back than using their No. 60 pick, but they did not feel the same when they were on the clock three picks earlier for the first time on Day 2.
With their original second-round pick (No. 57), the Bears went back to work for their offense and selected Iowa center Logan Jones, an ideal scheme fit who could push veteran trade acquisition Garrett Bradbury as Chicago’s starter as a rookie next season.
The Bears flipped a 2027 fifth-round pick to the New England Patriots for Bradbury in March when Pro Bowl veteran Drew Dalman abruptly retired from the NFL, but Jones gives them a potential long-term solution who might be too good to leave on the bench.
Jones — who is 6-foot-2 and 301 pounds — knows how to operate in zone-blocking schemes, possessing the right blend of power, strength and athleticism to make a living in an offense like the one that Ben Johnson runs in Chicago. His effort is also undeniable, as one AFC personnel director made clear to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
“He’s fun to watch,” the AFC personnel director told Zierlein for Jones’ pre-draft profile for NFL.com. “He plays like he’s got two kids and a mortgage to pay, man. That kind of grown-man effort.”
Bears Trade Out of 2nd Round for TE After Run on Edge Rushers