The Chicago Bears released cornerback Zah Frazier on Thursday, ending a tenure with the organization that lasted just over a year and never produced a single regular season appearance. Frazier was selected 169th overall in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of the University of Texas at San Antonio, brought in to add depth and competition to Chicago’s secondary. Neither role was ever filled.
A Bears season that never started for Frazier
When training camp opened last summer, Frazier was absent from the practice field. The Bears placed him on the non-football injury list in late August, citing a personal matter. He spent the entirety of the 2025 season on that list, limited to classroom work and weight room sessions while his teammates took the field. Neither the organization nor Frazier spoke publicly about the specifics of what kept him out.
The situation appeared to carry some hope heading into the new year. Bears general manager Ryan Poles addressed Frazier’s status in January, indicating the cornerback was in a good place and would be part of the team’s offseason plans. Poles acknowledged that missing a full season had put Frazier at a real developmental disadvantage, but the message was that the organization remained open to seeing what he could do.
Four months later, that position changed. Thursday’s release puts Frazier on waivers, where any NFL team can claim him.
How the Bears depth chart closed the door
The roster math shifted significantly after the 2026 draft. Chicago selected cornerback Malik Muhammad from the University of Texas in the fourth round, adding a new competitive presence to a secondary that was already crowded. The depth chart heading into this offseason includes Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell and Terell Smith, who is returning from a serious knee injury. Muhammad’s arrival left little room for a player who had not appeared in a professional game.
Frazier’s release also serves a practical purpose on the calendar. It opens a spot on Chicago’s 90-man roster ahead of rookie minicamp, scheduled for May 8 and 9 in Lake Forest. The Bears can now use that space to evaluate new additions during one of the first significant offseason gatherings.
What comes next for Frazier
At 24, Frazier’s path forward runs through the waiver wire. Any team can claim him within the next 24 hours. If he goes unclaimed, he becomes a free agent and can sign with any organization. His most recent competitive football is college tape from 2024, and he arrives at this moment with a full year removed from any game action.
The physical profile that got him drafted, a tall and rangy cornerback with the traits teams covet at the position, remains intact. Whether that is enough to generate interest from another NFL team is a question the coming weeks will answer. The developmental gap created by a lost season is real, and teams evaluating him will have to weigh potential against the uncertainty of what he has been through.
The Bears move forward
Chicago enters the 2026 offseason in a relatively stable position across several key areas of the roster. The secondary in particular has become a point of genuine investment, with multiple competitive players at cornerback and a new draft addition pushing for immediate contributions. The decision to release Frazier rather than carry him as a developmental project reflects an organization focused on near-term readiness.
Rookie minicamp begins Friday in Lake Forest. The secondary depth chart that greets Chicago’s newest class of players will not include the name that was once expected to grow into a part of it.
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