Bears’ Zah Frazier Faces Mysterious Setback, Rookie Season Now in Jeopardy

Cronin explains that Frazier last practiced during the annual rookie minicamp. He was spotted, per Cronin, at practice on August 20. It was his first appearance during training camp; he was riding on a golf cart with team personnel.

When the news broke that Zah Frazier, the Bears’ promising fifth-round pick from the 2025 draft, would be sidelined for his entire rookie year due to a Non-Football Injury/Illness, it turned a few heads—and not necessarily for the reasons you might expect . General Manager Ryan Poles shed some light on the matter, revealing a deeply personal challenge that predated Frazier’s arrival in Chicago. It’s a tough pill to swallow, no doubt—especially when you consider the raw speed and potential this cornerback showcased at the Combine, blazing through the 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.36 seconds . Yet, it sounds like the Bears’ diligent staff unearthed the root of the issue and are steering him toward recovery with an encouraging sense of care and resolve. While Frazier’s rookie season won’t pan out on the field just yet, he’s staying engaged—joining meetings, training in the weight room, and collaborating with medical personnel—eyeing a hopeful debut in 2026. It’s a situation that stirs a mix of frustration and optimism, reminding us all that even elite athleticism doesn’t sidestep life’s unpredictable hurdles. LEARN MORE“He had a situation that presented itself in a category that I would say [is] ‘personal,’” Poles said. “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.Bears cornerback Zah Frazier, a fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft, will miss his entire rookie season on the Non-Football Injury/Illness list.Poles said that Frazier will Poles attend meetings, work out in the weight room, and work with the team’s medical staff in the hopes of making his debut in 2026.Frazier turns 25 in October. At the Scouting Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds.

“Kind of a bummer on the front end, but I think because of everyone’s hard work and care here we got him on the right path.”Via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com, G.M. Ryan Poles addressed the matter on Tuesday.