Bears reach disappointing outcome with 2025 draft pick that never even got a chance to play a snap in Chicago

Chicago Bears defensive back Zah Frazier (20) warms up during the Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears announced on Thursday that the team has released 2025 fifth-round pick Zah Frazier, who missed the entirety of his rookie season.

The Chicago Bears announced a disappointing roster decision on Thursday when the team waived cornerback Zah Frazier, the team’s fifth-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft.

Frazier missed the entirety of his rookie season due to a personal matter and was expected to attend the team’s rookie minicamp as a first-year player this weekend prior to this decision.

The rest of the team’s first-year players, including the seven man draft class and undrafted free agent signings, will be in action for the first time at Halas Hall.

Chicago Bears’ situation with Zah Frazier is unfortunate and changes the outlook at the CB2 spot

Frazier was last on the field for the Bears during rookie minicamp last year after being selected with the 169th overall pick. When the team returned for OTAs, Frazier was not back on the field with the team due to an undisclosed personal reason.

“He had a situation that presented itself in a category that I would say [is] ‘personal,'” general manager Ryan Poles explained last year. “As we dug into it, tried to help him out, it revealed itself as something that happened before he got here. So, credit to our staff finding the root cause of what he was going through. He’ll be down for the year but he’ll spend the time going to meetings, in the weight room and with the medical staff preparing for next season to get ready to play.”

Frazier had a lot of support in the building coming out of the draft. Defensive backs coach Al Harris pounded on the table to draft this guy and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen liked what he saw from Frazier during rookie minicamp.