Ben Johnson explains why Bears coveted UDFA TE Hayden Large

Alyssa Barbieri, Bears WireMon, May 11, 2026 at 3:13 PM UTC

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Ben Johnson explains why Bears coveted UDFA TE Hayden Large

It's no secret that Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson covets tight ends, as evidenced by the team's top duo in last year's standout rookie Colston Loveland and veteran Cole Kmet, as well as third-round rookie Sam Roush this season. But there's another tight end who's caught Johnson's eye: Undrafted rookie Hayden Large.

Johnson's penchant for 12 and 13 personnel is a big reason why he's invested in tight ends in his first two seasons as head coach, and last season we saw the beginning of what he can do. The Bears utilized 13 personnel at the fourth highest rate in the NFL and utilized 12 personnel at the sixth highest rate. So having capable tight ends on the roster is a must.

Large was a standout during rookie minicamp last weekend, where Mark Carman noted he "looked good catching the football." Johnson explained why Large was coveted by the Bears during the draft, as well as the moment he realized Large has what it takes to be part of this team.

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"He was one of the guys we identified well before the draft," Johnson said. "He's a player that we really liked. A quick story about him - we do a great job trying to recruit some of these guys that we think might fall through the cracks and go undrafted. So I actually called him before the draft and let him know that we had a vision for him. And when you take a tight end in the third round, you're kind of like, 'Oh, shoot, that might take us away from Hayden coming here.' And yet he didn't bat an eye. This is where he wanted to be. To me, that speaks volumes about how he's wired. And it has something to do with how he came to walk on at Iowa and earn him playing time and going through with the long, hard road. I really appreciate that and I think we got a good one there.”

But with Loveland, Kmet and Roush already in the mix, is there a spot for Large on the 53-man roster? Probably not, if Chicago opts to carry six wide receivers. But Johnson has also made it clear that all players have a chance to earn a roster spot, so a strong summer from Large might be his way to a roster spot, or at the very least a practice squad spot.

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson explains why Hayden Large was a top UDFA target

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