Bears Trade Defensive Tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. to Falcons

A last-minute trade speaks volumes about the Bears' confidence in one of their most exciting rookies. The deadline for final roster cuts is 6 p.m. ET Sunday.

Chicago Bears DT Gervon Dexter Sr. takes the field before a game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles is shaking up his defensive line just two weeks before the start of the 2026 regular season. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears have traded fourth-year defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. to the Atlanta Falcons for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick. This confirms trade rumors that began after Dexter's early exit from last week's practice, bringing to an end Dexter's time with the team that selected him in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.

The Bears are showing faith in ascendant rookie

Chicago Bears DT Jordan van den Berg makes a tackle at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s hard to look at this trade as anything other than a strong vote of confidence in rookie defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg. The Bears’ hype for van den Berg was through the roof shortly after selecting him with a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and thus far he hasn’t disappointed.

In all of his preseason games so far, van den Berg has been an absolute menace. While he hasn’t yet recorded a sack, he’s been credited with multiple pressures in each game. Against the Bengals in Week 2 of the preseason, he showcased his incredible athleticism by chasing down a smaller, faster running back on an outside run, stopping him for no gain.

We’ve always known that the Bears were high on van den Berg, but by trading a veteran player who was widely projected to start once again, Ryan Poles is putting his money where his mouth is. Dexter may not have quite lived up to the hype of a second-round draft pick, but he still racked up 11 sacks over the last two seasons and recovered four fumbles. Parting with that kind of production is quite the leap of faith for Poles and the Bears.

The Bottom Line

Chicago Bears DT Gervon Dexter Sr. gets a sack against the Minnesota Vikings. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Trading a consensus starter with only two weeks left before the season opener is one of the bolder moves Ryan Poles has made in his tenure as general manager of the Chicago Bears. As aforementioned, Dexter was not exactly a game-wrecker, but he was solid. How this changes the projected 53-man roster for the Bears is anyone's guess, but their final preseason game against the Tennessee Titans likely told us a lot about what they plan to do along the defensive line for the regular season.

With Dexter officially gone, however, the Bears' 2023 draft class looks pretty bleak. Darnell Wright, who also left Tuesday's practice early with an apparent injury, is likely to be the only player from that class to stick with the Bears beyond the 2026 season, barring a miraculous turnaround from Tyrique Stevenson. Thankfully, the Bears' draft classes since then have fared much better, and the future of the franchise rests in the capable hands of head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams.

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