The Chicago Bears are already loaded at tight end.
Colston Loveland just wrapped up a 58 catches for 713 yards and 6 TDs rookie season and is expected to take another leap in 2026. Cole Kmet had his contract restructured days before the draft. And yet, Ryan Poles still went out and grabbed Stanford tight end Sam Roush at No. 69 overall.
Roush is a 6’6”, 267 pound blocking tight end with a rugby background and the kind of physicality Ben Johnson loves.
With three legitimate tight ends on the roster now, Chicago suddenly has real 13 personnel possibilities… and some very interesting questions about who fits into the long term picture.
What Roush actually brings
GettyTE Sam Roush
Sam Roush’s tape isn’t flashy. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler graded him as a third to fourth round prospect and described him as a traditional Y tight end with blocking ability and underneath receiving upside.
The combine numbers were impressive: 4.70 40 yard dash, 38.5 inch vertical, 25 reps on the bench press. He was one of six prospects out of 319 who completed every drill.
Still, there’s a 12.5% drop rate in 2025 to reckon with. Arms that are disproportionately short for his frame. And virtually no production as a red zone target (three catches inside the 20 all season).
The Chicago Bears restructured Kmet’s deal just before the draft, converting $7.65 million of salary into a bonus. A straight up trade right now doesn’t make much sense after you just restructured his deal. But an extension beyond 2027? That’s a real question mark.
Sure Cole Kmet said publicly before the draft that he never felt he’d leave. He and Ben Johnson had their exit meeting, both sides expressed mutual interest, and there’s genuine goodwill there. But drafting a physical 6’6″ tight end in the third round signals something about where this roster is heading.
So what does this mean for Kmet?
GettyBears TEs Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland
The Loveland-Kmet-Roush combination could be dominant. Ben Johnson loves 12 personnel, and adding a legitimate 13 personnel option with Roush’s size actually opens up some interesting things schematically.
It’s also worth noting the Luther Burden/DJ Moore parallel that’s already circulating. Burden came in, showed enough as a rookie, and Moore was eventually moved.
Sure Sam Roush is a very different player than Burden, but the underlying dynamic isn’t that different. If Roush develops into a legitimate blocker and short area weapon by 2027… why extend Kmet at presumably $15+ million per year?
Cole Kmet isn’t going anywhere in 2026. The contract restructure, the relationship with the coaching staff, and the genuine roster need for his blocking experience in a run heavy 12 personnel system all point to him being with the Chicago Bears for at least another year.
But 2027 is a different story. Colston Loveland is locked in as the long term piece. Roush is presumably here to develop into the blocking complement. Kmet, who will be 28 when his contract expires, is the odd man out in that math unless he gives the Bears a compelling reason to extend him.
He’s been exactly what the Chicago needed during a transition period. Whether there’s still a role for him when the Bears are supposed to be competing for a Super Bowl, Ryan Poles just gave you a pretty clear hint.
Bears’ Sam Roush Pick Raises Serious Questions About Cole Kmet’s Future