There were so many things to like about the Chicago Bears‘ 2025 draft class. Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, and Kyle Monangai were home runs. All played huge roles in helping the team make the playoffs last yeare. Ozzy Trapilo looked like a strong addition as well before he injured his knee. Sadly, no class is perfect. Ruben Hyppolite and Shemar Turner both disappointed prior to their own injuries. Yet no player proved more of a waste of resources than 5th round pick Zah Frazier.
His addition made sense at first. The cornerback out of UTSA had tons of potential with a tall, long frame and great athleticism. He was your classic Al Harris type of player. Things took a strange turn when he didn’t show up for spring practices, training camp, or the regular season. Eventually, he was shut down for the season, with the only explanation being that he was away from the team for “personal reasons.” Still, it was hoped he could get his affairs in order for next year. Indeed, it looked like things were going that direction.
Then the Bears dropped a bombshell on Thursday afternoon.
Zah Frazier is a complete mystery.
Leading up to the draft last year, there were no indications of character concerns. The one sticking point was that he’d turn 25 as a rookie. Outside of that, everything pointed to a late-bloomer prospect with more than enough ability to compete for a roster spot. Everything the Bears found in their research was that Frazier was mature and had great football character. They were excited to get him in the building. Then at some point between the end of the draft and training camp, something went wrong.
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General manager Ryan Poles refused to offer any details, only calling it a “personal” matter. It was apparently bad enough that Zah Frazier never even returned to the team. He was shut down for the season. Still, the Bears were willing to give him more time to get his situation figured out. The cornerback offered signs that he was ready to get to work this season. Now this happens. For it to happen right before the start of spring practices suggests the personal issue resurfaced or another problem did. Whatever the case, the Bears felt it was the final straw and just chose to cut their losses.
Frazier’s margin for error disappeared after the draft.
That became the case when Chicago drafted Malik Muhammad in the 4th round last month. The pick received widespread praise from experts, who felt the Bears got a steal. Combine that with the expected return of Terell Smith from his knee injury last season, and the competition for a roster spot had grown significantly for Frazier. That meant any mistake or problem he created would not be met with the same patience and understanding as last year. Sure enough, he gets the boot.
People are left wondering what happened. The lack of answers is what makes this so frustrating. The team isn’t talking, and they deserve some criticism for this mess. They were the ones who decided to gamble on Frazier when they had some viable options elsewhere in the 5th round. Denzel Burke, a cornerback who had three interceptions as a rookie, went five picks later. The team should be grateful it was a later pick. If this had been in the first two days of the draft, the backlash would be enormous.
