Sam Roush

Roush enters a Bears TE room with both Colston Loveland (entrenched TE1 of the future) and Cole Kmet already in place. He is effectively the TE3, making consistent fantasy-relevant target volume in 2026 extremely unlikely.

Roush is primarily a blocking tight end whose 4.7 40 and modest college receiving numbers (119 catches, 1,201 yards over 4 years at Stanford) cap his pass-game ceiling. His fantasy relevance will depend on red zone packages, not volume routes.

Three notable TEs plus heavy WR/RB investment (Odunze, Burden, Swift, Monangai) limit how much offense flows to a TE3. Special-teams value sustains a roster spot but caps dynasty relevance; cut risk exists if development stalls.

Cole Kmet is approaching the back half of his contract window and could be traded or released as soon as 2027, which would elevate Roush to TE2 alongside Loveland and meaningfully improve his dynasty floor.

Head coach Ben Johnson uses heavy 13 personnel (three TEs), which is specifically why Chicago spent a 3rd-round pick on Roush. This creates a legitimate roster role and occasional red zone opportunity even if target share remains slim.

Roush posted elite combine athleticism — best TE 3-cone, top-3 vertical, top-4 broad jump — indicating untapped pass-catching upside that professional coaching in a creative scheme could help unlock over time.

Young TE (22) — still in value appreciation phase