Bears HC Ben Johnson addresses Zah Frazier release

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is at peace with the team's decision to move on from cornerback Zah Frazier. The organization released Frazier on Thursday, marking the end of a brief yet tumultuous tenure as a Bear after not playing a single snap last season due to personal issues. Johnson, addressing the media for the start of rookie mini camp , was forthright when asked about Frazier's release.

"When we look at the roster, where he was at, and where we were at, it was time to part ways," Johnson said via Bear Report's Zack Pearson. "When we look at the roster, where he was at and where we were at, it was time to part ways. " - #Bears HC Ben Johnson on Zah Frazier.

— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) May 8, 2026 Frazier was the team's fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of UTSA and was supposed to add valuable depth to the secondary before personal issues sidelined him for training camp and the regular season. Still, there was optimism he would be a contributor in 2026, but that changed this offseason. "We were hopeful, and it just wasn't going that direction.

The trajectory was off, and so we decided to go in a different direction," Johnson said. With Frazier no longer part of the team's plans, players such as Malik Muhammad, Terell Smith, and Jaylon Jones will compete for snaps at outside cornerback this summer, along with projected starters Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson. Frazier is the first member of the 2025 Bears draft class to be released.