Well, can’t say I expected that one. The Atlanta Falcons have traded Clark Phillips and a 2027 fifth round pick to the Chicago Bears for defensive tackle Gervon Dexter, adding more beef and pressure to their defensive front for a day three pick and a cornerback who was not guaranteed to make the roster.
Adam Schefter inevitably had the deal and its terms first.
Dexter was a player I liked quite a bit in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he landed in Chicago in the second round. Listed at 6’6” and 326 pounds, Dexter has played in 49 of a possible 51 games since landing in the league and has 13.5 sacks, including six a year ago, and offers a proven ability to get after the quarterback from the interior. Defensive line coach Nate Ollie, who got this Falcons defense sacking quarterbacks at a franchise record clip in 2025, now gets another piece to help the Falcons keep the pace. It’s an especially big deal with Jalon Walker out for the season and James Pearce Jr. suspended for about half the season, but it also sets the Falcons up for an absolutely fearsome interior pass rush in 2026 with Brandon Dorlus, LaCale London, Maason Smith, and Chris Williams also in the rotation.
Why were the Bears ready to let Dexter go? One suspects that Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham, who would have been involved in drafting Dexter, may have been more fond of him than the current staff and Bears GM Ryan Poles. Dexter’s faced consistent criticism for inconsistent tackling and performance against the run, something the Falcons will hope to see improvement from him on, but on paper it does not make sense for a Bears defense that isn’t exactly stacked up front to part with a still-young player who generates pressure regardless. One suspects the Bears weren’t planning to give him a new deal and felt he wasn’t the sort of high-level defensive lineman they needed to build around, but it’s still a surprising decision given their own issues and the lack of high-level compensation.
Dexter’s contract will expire after this season, setting up a decision for the Falcons. I suspect they’ll gladly bring him back if he’s as good or better than he was in 2025 in Chicago, though they’ll hope to see better from him against the run before committing big dollars. Regardless, the Falcons just paid a very fair price for a very good player who should help the defense in 2026, and that kind of addition was sorely needed given the attrition to this team’s pass rush.
Give Dexter a warm welcome, and let’s hope he’s great here.
