NFL insider's latest news shows Bears' hand on who might replace draft bust

The Chicago Bears made a shocking decision during their rookie minicamp, releasing 2025 draft pick cornerback Zah Frazier, who had never appeared in an NFL game.

Since then, there have been conversations about who the Bears might replace Frazier with on the roster now that he's gone. It appears they might be looking in the free agent market for that answer.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Bears had cornerback Nazeeh Johnson in for a workout. Johnson has played four seasons with the Chiefs, mainly as a special teams ace, racking up 66 tackles, three pass deflections, three tackles for loss, one sack, and one quarterback hit in 29 career games. He recently worked out with the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bears bring in free agent cornerback for workout

Chicago already had some interesting holes in the cornerback room, which were exacerbated when C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Nahshon Wright departed the roster. The Bears are looking at 2026 fourth-round pick Malik Muhammad and Terell Smith to step up at corner.

There's a chance that Johnson is being viewed less as a defensive back and more as a special-teams player. He has been one of the better ones in the NFL, and the Bears would love to add to a unit that already has a top-10 special teams ace in Josh Blackwell.

At the same time, the Bears need depth at Frazier; being waived really put a damper on the position. Johnson would easily come to Chicago and fill that gap for the Bears.

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It's clear now that the Bears are trying to make sure they are solid at cornerback and have enough to work with when training camp rolls around. The fascinating part will be whether Bears general manager Ryan Poles actually goes through with signing Johnson.