Winners, Losers, Grade from Atlanta Falcons Trade for Bears DT Gervon Dexter Sr.

It's cutdown day for the NFL as teams must trim their training camp rosters from a maximum of 90 players to 53 by 6:00 p.m. EST on Sunday evening. The Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears kicked off the day with a bang.

Early Sunday morning it was reported the Falcons would be sending former fourth-round cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick to the Bears for former second-round defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr.

The team was given an A- for the move by ESPN's Seth Walder, who, prior to this year, had been particularly critical of every move the Falcons made.

"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," Walder wrote on ESPN.

Any time there's a trade, the move affects more than just the players involved in the transaction, so outside of Phillips and Dexter, who are the winners and losers for the Falcons in this deal?

Winner: Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich

While Dexter might not be a Pro Bowler, he's still the biggest, most accomplished defensive tackle on the roster now. Hand has gotten praise from defensive line coach Nate Ollie, but he still has just 8.5 sacks in eight seasons and has been a part-time starter every season except 2025, when he started 13 games for the Chargers.

Dorlus is a budding star, but he's only played 17 games in his career, and Maason Smith is a reclamation project from the Jaguars. Dexter started all but two games for the Bears the last two seasons, has 11 sacks in those two years, and checks in at 326 pounds.

Winner: The Linebackers

Ollie said this summer that he wasn't worried about the overall lack of size of his defensive tackles. He claimed Hand was checking in around 320 (listed 302), with Smith listed at a towering 6'5 and 306. Dexter has 20 pounds on any of the Falcons' defensive tackles listed weight.

Dexter brings heft to the middle of the defense, which in turn will free up the linebackers to make plays without the guards and centers getting to the second level. The Falcons have upgraded the depth at linebacker and have gotten faster. Divine Deablo, Christian Harris, Kendal Daniels, and Harold Perkins Jr. will be happy to play behind Dexter.

Winner: Brandon Dorlus

Dorlus is a bona fide threat on the Falcons' defensive line. The worry is that he'd get the Grady Jarrett treatment and see two, or even three, blockers on any given snap. Dexter playing next to him should limit the double teams he sees, freeing him up to use his quickness and build on the 8.5 sacks that led all NFC interior defensive linemen last year.

Loser: Carlos Allen Jr. and Chris Williams

Allen and Williams are on the bubble of making the Falcons' 53-man roster. Allen is an undrafted free agent who has flashed at training camp and during the Falcons' preseason games. Williams signed as a free agent in the offseason, but that doesn't guarantee him a roster spot.

Even if one or both of them make the team, they'll be down the pecking order after the acquisition of Dexter.

Winner: Cobee Bryant, C.J. Henderson, Malcolm DeWalt IV

As the Falcons race towards Sunday's 6:00 p.m. deadline to get to 53 players on their roster, the math looked like four cornerbacks competing for two spots. I had Phillips and Cobee Bryant making the team, but I didn't feel good about it with those two on the bubble along with C.J. Henderson and Malcolm DeWalt.

Now, there are only three players competing for those hypothetical spots. That said, the back end of the cornerback room shouldn't feel comfortable. General manager Ian Cunningham and the Falcons will be active on the waiver wire looking for help tomorrow, particularly at offensive tackle, wide receiver, and cornerback.

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