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Gervon Dexter Could Decide Whether the Bears Defense Takes the Next Step

Gervon Dexter enters a crucial contract year, and if he breaks out at last, the Bears defense could become far tougher against both the run and pass in 2026.
Gene Chamberlain|
Gervon Dexter needs to show more than potential in his fourth Bears season.
Gervon Dexter needs to show more than potential in his fourth Bears season. | David Banks-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Maybe what the Bears really have in Gervon Dexter is a defensive tackle on the verge of a huge breakthrough.

Either that, or they have someone ticketed for another city, looking in 2027 for a rebirth after teasing success for four seasons.

It's his contract year, so both Dexter and the team have to hope this is the big moment.

A change in defensive line tactics last year away from pure single-gap, attacking style may have slowed his progression somewhat. He had improved from being graded 119th by Pro Football Focus among defensive tackles against the run as a rookie to 39th in Year 2. But after a switch in style of play to attacking blockers instead of gaps under coordinator Dennis Allen, he regressed to 107th.

Dexter's inability so far to make a bigger impact as a run stopper gets blamed by many for how he tends to come in too high. He's out of his stance and standing straight up too quickly for a defensive tackle to be effective. It doesn't hurt his pass rush, and a career-high six sacks last year says as much. But stopping the run is a prerequisite for any defensive tackle and the Bear as a team were among the league's worst at this last year when Dexter struggled.

Nevertheless, Dexter has been doing enough to believe he not only can become a very effective defensive tackle, but could be the wild card or X-factor in how well the defense and entire team perform this year.

Of course Caleb William is always going to be the one who stirs the drink for the entire team as a quarterback, but if the Bears defense can come up with a more consistent interior force against the run and the pass, it will make everything so much easier for everyone. The run defense stiffens, puts teams in passing situations more often and both the interior rush and edge rush become that much more effective. The secondary, where Allen puts so much emphasis with his scheming, then benefits greatly with hurried throws or errant throws, and the turnover fest can occur like last year. Just as importantly, it can also lead to more three-and-outs and more chances for Williams to come on the field with an explosive offense.

Dexter can impact so much from the interior of the line because he is 6-foot-6, 326 pounds and ran a 4.88 40-yard dash. Actually doing it is the key.

What's possible for Dexter

Last year at training camp, Dexter told a revealing story during a presser.

"My coach, coach JG (Jeremy Garrett), he asked me one time when we first got here (to camp), 'G what are you looking at when you are getting off the ball or what are you looking at when you are ready to strike?’ And I told him some dumb answer, I told him like, ‘I'm looking at the hips or ankles of the offensive lineman,’ " Dexter said. "He looked at me funny. He was like, ‘just key the tip of the (shoulder) pad.’

"And that's been more than helpful to me so far. It's been perfect.”

It wasn't really perfect, as Dexter's progress has been marginal while the Bears see him as capable of so much more. He had a career-best six sacks but still the run problems persist.

That story alone showed how much Dexter still needed help with basics in Year 3.

Why it can happen now

So many defensive tackles need to figure it out for three, four or even five years that there is every reason to think it could happen for Dexter — especially considering his great athletic potential.

Of Pro Football Focus' top 12 defensive tackles heading into last season, only Jalen Carter and Leonard Williams had what could be described as breakthrough type seasons before Year 3 and most of those top defensive tackles needed Year 4 to arrive fully.

  • Chiefs great Chris Jones exploded in Year 3 with 15 1/2 sacks.
  • Dexter Lawrence never had more than six tackles for loss or four sacks until Year 4, his first Pro Bowl year.
  • Cam Heyward never hit five sacks until Year 4, then did that or better five of the next six years.
  • Quinnen Williams became a Pro Bowl player in Year 4 when he burst through with 12 sacks and doubled his single-season best for QB hits to 28.
  • Derrick Brown had been steady but needed until Year 6 last year beore raising his sacks rate to five.
  • Jeffery Simmons jumped forward in Year 3 from three sacks for a high to 8 1/2 in making the Pro Bowl for the first time.
  • Christian Wilkins had a Year 4 surge, with nine sacks and 16 tackles for loss.
  • Vita Vea significantly upped his impact in Year 4 and made the Pro Bowl for the first time.
  • Nnamdi Madubuike was the poster child for defensive tackle Year 4 leaps. He went from career-highs of 5 1/2 sacks and eight tackles for loss in Year 3 to 13 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, his first Pro Bowl, and first All-Pro designation in Year 4.

The pressure is on

The Bears really need Dexter to make this big move and so does he. He signed on with superagent Drew Rosenhaus in anticipation of a contract extension or 2027 free agency.

The Bears haven't significantly upgraded at defensive tackle, adding only backup types Kentavius Street, Neville Gallimore, James Lynch and drafting sixth-rounder Jordan van den Berg. Rookie sixth-rounders rarely produce much at defensive tackle, and the veterans have track records as contributors only in supporting or backup roles.

Starter Grady Jarrett is 33 now and his production declined in his first Bears season to what it was in his 2023 Falcons season, when he played less than half the schedule due to an ACL tear — 1 1/2 sacks and eight quarterback hits. His one tackle for loss was a career low.


If Dexter doesn't do it, it's unclear where exactly effective defensive tackle play can come from, and even less clear what his Bears future would be.

If he does deliver, the cascading effect from a defense suddenly stopping the run and pressuring the passer could trickle down all the way to the offense with scoring opportunities.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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