May 9, 2025; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears defensive backs Devin Kirkwood (38) and Zah Frazier (20) warm up during the Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Bears' forgotten rookie provides a positive status update

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Jerry Markarian | Last updated Jan 8, 2026 5:00 PM ET

Many were excited about Zah Frazier's potential when the Bears selected him in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The UTSA cover man was long, fast, and coming off a season in which he nabbed six interceptions and earned First-Team All-AAC honors.

However, many were concerned when he didn't participate in practice throughout training camp. Those concerns multiplied after he got placed on the NFL's Non-Football Injury (NFI) list on August 26.

"He had a situation that presented itself in a category that I would say [is] 'personal,'" Bears' general manager Ryan 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."

That was the most recent update we received regarding Frazier, which isn't surprising considering Poles mentioned that he would be out for the year. He did say that Frazier would remain with the team in preparation for the 2026 NFL season.

With that said, we received a much more positive update on the rookie cornerback today. This time, it came from the man, himself.

Bears rookie CB Zah Frazier, who missed his rookie season due to a personal matter, recently posted on Snapchat that he has been “medically cleared”

Sounds like whatever Zah was dealing with has been resolved. Can’t wait to see what he does in Year 2!

(H/T: @downbadbears) https://t.co/TQJWLwtoeo pic.twitter.com/tnAO0XsZqJ
— Bearsszn (@bearszn) January 8, 2026

It remains unclear what Frazier was medically cleared from, but quite frankly, that's none of our business. It never has been.

Some felt scorned by the Bears' process and vagueness throughout the process. Others were mad at Ryan Poles for selecting 'damaged goods'. Anyone who held those beliefs (check out the initial Twitter post; you'll find many knee-jerk reactions) looks downright silly today.

This was a perfect example of why it's vital not to overreact when teams don't provide insight into player absences. We're just fans. We shouldn't feel obligated to information that we have no business knowing.

Getting back to the plot (my apologies for the grandstanding), it's great news that whatever Frazier was dealing with is hopefully in the rearview mirror. If this season has been any indication, he could come out of nowhere to provide a surprising impact.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: