Bears’ Ben Johnson drops cryptic update on mysterious roster move

The Chicago Bears released defensive back Zah Frazier on Thursday, ending his tenure with the team after just one season in rather mysterious fashion.

Frazier did not play at all in 2025 due to personal issues. He participated in rookie minicamp last spring, but was then placed on the non-football injury list and did not participate in any football activities the rest of the way. Instead, he was limited to classroom and weight room activities.

When asked about the Bears’ decision to cut ties with Frazier, head coach Ben Johnson didn’t go into much detail.

“Zah’s a guy we’ve had here for over a year. It’s just one of those things when we’re looking at the roster, where he’s at, where we’re at, it was time to part ways,” Johnson said. “Appreciate everything that he contributed while he was here. It opens up a roster spot and opportunity to make this team.”

Clearly, Johnson does not want to divulge much information, which is entirely understandable. We might never know what actually happened to Frazier, but what we do know is that the 25-year-old will not be with Chicago in 2026.

Chicago Bears lost a potential stud in Zah Frazier

The Bears selected Frazier in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and at the time, many considered the pick to be a steal.

After all, Frazier had just logged 24 tackles, six interceptions and nine passes defended for UTSA in 2024, and at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, he possessed tremendous size for a cornerback.

Frazier began his collegiate career at Southern Illinois in 2019 before transferring to Coffeyville Community College in Kansas for 2020. He spent two years there before eventually making his way to UTSA in 2022, where he barely played his first two seasons. He then put himself on the map as an NFL prospect during his final collegiate campaign.

Given that the Bears lost cornerback Nahshon Wright to free agency this year, some felt that Frazier could actually take on a significant role for the squad next fall. But clearly, that was never going to be the case, and Chicago’s decision to select Texas corner Malik Muhammad in the fourth round of this year’s draft may have been an indication of that.

We’ll see if Frazier ultimately lands somewhere else or if he will simply end up out of pro football entirely.

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