The Chicago Bears will be without the services of their most recent fifth-round draft pick for the entire season, general manager Ryan Poles told reporters on Tuesday. Zah Frazier, a cornerback out of UTSA, was placed on the non-football injury list on Monday and hasn't practiced since May.
"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. 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.
"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," Poles added.
The selection of Frazier raised some eyebrows because he entered the NFL at the age of 25 and only played one season as a starter. But like many other teams, the Bears were willing to take a late-round flyer on someone whose physical attributes they liked.
Poles's explanation doesn't really answer all the questions and it has to be concerning when someone is missing their first year of pro ball entirely while presumably healthy enough to play. That said, the vagueness could signal something is going on that is far more important than football
The Bears did receive some positive secondary news as shutdown corner Jaylen Johnson has been activated onto the 53-man roster after dealing with an injury.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bears GM Gives Cryptic Explanation for Draft Pick Missing His Rookie Season.
