The Chicago Bears have completed remaking their offensive coaching staff under Ben Johnson. Dan Roushar, their new offensive line coach, was one of the most important hires. Prior to taking over at Tulane in 2023, he had spent the previous decade with the New Orleans Saints. There, he helped develop four eventual Pro Bowl/All-Pro players. Such success leads to the obvious question. With the Bears almost certain to take somebody on the offensive line early in the 2025 draft, how does Roushar’s presence alter their approach?
I set about researching the Saints’ most notable picks during his tenure there to see if I could find any correlation between them all. Conference? No. School? No. Specific coaches they worked with? Not really. Ultimately, there were notable criteria each of them met. All of them were capable pass protectors even before getting to the NFL.
Terron Armstead (3rd round, 2013)
Despite facing sub-par competition in season, he’s shown the ability to be a good pass protector, and contribute as a run blocker.
Andrus Peat (1st round, 2015)
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Above-average understanding of protections. Instinctive against twists and reacts quickly to them. Able to drop his anchor in pass protection.
Ryan Ramczyk (1st round, 2017)
Smooth pass slides with hands that are always punch ready. Hands land with flat feet, great accuracy, force and timing. Keeps his chin tucked and back flat.
Erik McCoy (2nd round, 2019)
McCoy comes gift-wrapped in a thick, strong frame and proved he could hold up to both power (Dexter Lawrence) and athleticism (Quinnen Williams).
Cesar Ruiz (1st round, 2020)
Early into pass sets with good hand placement. Compact, stiff pass punch with good arm extension. Clear eyes to identify pre- and post-snap danger.
Dan Roushar looks for the guys who don’t need much polish in protection.
This isn’t a bad approach to take. The Green Bay Packers have used it for years, and it has served them well. It comes from a philosophy that it is easier to teach linemen how to run block than pass protect. That is true because run blocking requires less precision technique or timing. Many great run blockers in college never ascend as pros because they struggle to master the difficult art of protection. That is why drafting those who already have is a smart approach. It already worked for Chicago with Darnell Wright.
There is a strong probability Dan Roushar will push them even further into that line of thinking. So the obvious question becomes who could they target that fits this criteria. After digging through some scouting reports on NFL.com, three names popped up.
Tyler Booker (Alabama)
Protects with good posture and smooth tempo in his mirror. Plays with great poise and recognition when twists and blitzes kick off. Able to uncoil lower half and set a sudden anchor in the pocket.
Armand Membou (Missouri)
Impeccable body control and poise in his pass sets. Protects with independent hands and a fluid mirror. Athletic and agile to stay connected to rushers around the arc.
Donovan Jackson (Ohio State)
Able to punch and stay clinched from a distance. Uses core power, hip flexion and hand resets to thwart bull rush. Uses length and upper-body power to thump gap shooters.
All three of those names are expected to go somewhere in the first two rounds. If the Bears end up taking one of them, you’ll have confirmation that Roushar was a big reason why. Making good run blockers is easy. His job is finding guys who can protect Caleb Williams.
@Dr. Melhus — You may recall this quick assessment and warning from the past: “I liked the selection of Darnell Wright (identifying Wright as “Trent Williams Jr.” at that time). However, I also warned then, that Chris Morgan would probably alter much of what made Darnell Wright such an exciting O-line prospect (his skill at applying those Trent Williams’ “tricks and techniques” that Wright perfected at the University of Tennessee). But rather than replace Chris “C-Mo” Morgan (one of the Bears’ weakest coaches) Poles promoted him to Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator, this year.” — posted in 2023 _______________ Well,… Read more »
Marcus Mbow from Purdue is another guy worth looking at. He’s projected to play center. He has a hard time handling power, but he moves well and has very quick hands.
Wow! Looks like Erik downloaded DeepSeek.
“… it comes from a philosophy that it is easier to teach lineman how to run block than to pass protect.”
This concept forms the core of this article – draft pass blockers and teach them to run block. There are some readers here with more knowledge of OL play than me. Is this philosophy universally accepted, or is it something Erik dreamed up? Comments?