We Finally Got The First Twist In The Zah Frazier Mystery

The Chicago Bears can't complain about what they've seen from their 2025 draft class so far. Colston Loveland and Luther Burden are already showcasing their playmaking ability. Ozzy Trapilo has positioned himself to become the team's swing tackle as a rookie. Ruben Hyppolite is thriving on special teams. Kyle Monangai is looking at serious snaps in the running back rotation. Even Luke Newman has looked so much better than anticipated. The only exception to all of this has been Zah Frazier.

Chicago took the tall, athletic cornerback out of UTSA in the 5th round. He came on the personal recommendation of secondary coach Al Harris. There were certainly exciting traits to work with. Then something happened. Around the start of training camp, Frazier vanished. He was declared out for "personal reasons" and didn't surface for weeks. Some began speculating he planned to retire. Then the twist came. Frazier had popped up at practice, appearing to go through the ramp-up period before rejoining the defense.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune had some details.

Rookie fifth-round pick Zah Frazier has missed all of training camp for personal reasons, making it a little hard to picture a pathway to the 53-man roster for him at the start of the season. But the cornerback from Texas-San Antonio was spotted about midway through practice.

He was getting off a golf cart outside the weight room, an indication he probably was doing some type of workout on other fields or inside the Walter Payton Center. It’s potentially a sign that Frazier will be involved in football activities before too long.

Zah Frazier is battling the clock now.

In his absence, other players have positioned themselves for roster spots. Nahshon Wright, Tre Flower, and Josh Blackwell feel like the favorites to scoop up the last three behind the starters. The season-ending injury suffered by Terell Smith shook things up a bit. That said, Zah Frazier is all but out of time. Final cuts are due on August 26th. That gives him five days to make a strong impression. After missing over a month of action, it seems unlikely he can sway coaches based on practice reps alone. He must hope that his status as a draft pick is enough to retain a spot. Given how this coaching staff has operated, that seems unlikely. It feels like Frazier is destined to be released. His best hope is that either another team claims him on waivers, which is unlikely, or he lands on the practice squad. We'll find out more in a few days.