Chicago Bears rookie dealt worrying fate in early 53-man roster projection

By Aug. 26, the Chicago Bears must cut their roster down to 53 players. General manager Ryan Poles, head coach Ben Johnson and company will have a number of difficult decisions to make.

When it comes to the cornerback position, things are made easy for the Bears at the top. Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson are locked in as starters when healthy. There will be lengthy conversations on who should fill the depth chart after them, although training camp has revealed a few standouts at the position.

One rookie who has yet to make an impact is fifth-rounder Zah Frazier. He has been away from the team due to a personal matter. While he shouldn’t be at fault for his excused absence, Scott Bair of the Marquee Sports Network left him off his 53-man roster projection. Johnson, Gordon, Stevenson, Terell Smith, Nahshon Wright and Josh Blackwell are the six cornerbacks that do make the roster in Bair’s projection.

“I have no idea what to do about Zah Frazier. The Bears valued him enough to use a fifth-rounder on him and there are certainly some teams who probably liked him entering the draft, so expecting him to clear waivers is a tall order. But he hasn’t been around at all due to personal reasons.”

“You have to respect that, but this cornerback grouping is so deep and talented,” Bair continued. “Every single one of the guys above deserves a spot. Do you try to sneak him on the practice squad? That might be tough, but it would be tough to let a guy go before seeing him work over a longer term. Can’t find a right answer here.”

Chicago Bears cornerbacks step up in training camp

Both Johnson and Gordon have dealt with injuries throughout camp, giving other cornerbacks an opportunity to shine. Wright and Smith in particular have drawn a ton of attention. If they continue their strong play, it’s only going to become more difficult for Frazier to sneak onto the roster.

Wright began working with the starters when Johnson went down. Formerly of the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, the cornerback signed a one-year contract with the Bears over the offseason. Standing 6-foot-4, he is much lankier than your average cornerback. That size, coupled with his ability to backup Johnson, will help Wright’s chances of making the final roster.

Smith was a big winner of joint practices with the Miami Dolphins. He nearly had an interception in their preseason matchup and was a menace in coverage throughout practice and the game. For a player battling to earn more opportunities, the cornerback has done exactly what the coaching staff is looking for.

It’s hard to blame Frazier. Whatever his personal matter is is much bigger than football right now. But cut day is looming, and the Bears have a serious decision to make.