The Chicago Bears have traded away starting defensive lineman Gervon Dexter to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for cornerback Clark Phillips and a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
The #Bears are trading DT Gervon Dexter Sr to the #Falcons, as they add a player who started 17 games last season, per me and @AdamSchefter.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2026
The Bears are getting back Clark Phillips and 5th rounder. pic.twitter.com/BhqCHsZl98
For Chicago, this is a little bit of a surprise given Dexter started every game for the Bears last season and played on 62 percent of Chicago’s defensive snaps in those games. He seemed to be making strides last year with a career-high in sacks (six) and tied his career-high in fumble recoveries with two. In all three of his seasons with the Bears,
he recorded double-digit quarterback hits, with a career-high of 19 in 2024.
This is a good trade for Atlanta, which needed another reliable body on the defensive line and could afford to get rid of Phillips, who only played in one game last season due to a triceps injury he suffered in October of 2025. The draft capital is also not a lot to give up, given Dexter was a second-round pick back in 2023.
On the other side of the trade, Chicago’s defensive line was seen as a weakness prior to the beginning of training camp. Sixth-round rookie Jordan van den Berg has emerged as a draft steal in the Bears’ training camp.
They must have a lot of confidence in van den Berg to be willing to trade away Dexter, given how big a piece he was in Chicago’s defense last season. But Dexter also struggled against the run last year, which was a huge problem for the Bears. So only time will tell whether this trade is a win for the Bears.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Bears trade DL Gervon Dexter to Falcons for CB Clark Phillips
