The Atlanta Falcons swung a trade with the Chicago Bears on Sunday morning, sending cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round draft pick to the Bears in exchange for defensive tackle Gervon Dexter.
Atlanta was fairly thin at defensive tackle, even after trading for former Jaguars DT Maason Smith earlier in the offseason. Dexter is a major upgrade for the Falcons, and his presence should bring out the best in the team's young pass-rushers.
On paper, it looks like Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham got a great deal from his mentor Ryan Pace. Even ESPN seemed to agree that Atlanta got the best of Chicago. Ben Solak gave the Falcons an A-minus grade, while the Bears received "C" for the trade.
"This a good get for the Falcons, who needed
defensive tackle help worse than perhaps any other team in the league. Free agent addition Da'Shawn Hand has missed most of training camp with a leg injury, leaving only bottom-of-the-roster contributors to fill the starting spot besides Brandon Dorlus. In Dexter, the Falcons grab a player big enough to play the nose next to Dorlus, but with enough power and pass-rush technique to still matter on passing downs. Dexter had a pressure rate of 10.5% last season by NFL Next Gen Stat's charting, 11th among all defensive tackles and well above the league average for defensive tackles (7.4%)." - Ben Solak, ESPN
Dexter, 24, recorded 44 tackles (21 solo) and six sacks for the Bears last season. Over his three years in Chicago, the former second-round pick has racked up 115 tackles (57 solo), 13.5 sacks and 42 QB hits. Dexter projects to start at nose tackle for the Falcons in 2026.
So why did the Bears give up Dexter? After all, it's tough to find good interior defensive linemen, and especially those who can push the pocket to create sacks.
Solak goes on to say that the deal had to do with Dexter being in the final year of his contract, but even if the Falcons don't re-sign Dexter, they will still be awarded a compensatory pick.
"Dexter is on a contract year, which is one of the reasons he was available for a cheap return. If he has a good year in Atlanta, the Falcons might consider extending him… but they might also let him walk for a compensatory pick that replaces (or improves upon) the fifth-rounder they lost in letting him go." - Solak
The Falcons have more work to do, though. The NFL's 53-man roster deadline is Sunday evening at 6 p.m. ET. The team has already trimmed 11 players but must cut 26 more before today's deadline. Follow along with each more using our Falcons roster cuts tracker!
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: ESPN grades Falcons' trade for Bears DT Gervon Dexter
