Bears’ decision to trade Gervon Dexter Sr. now looks slightly more justified after the extension he signed with the Falcons
The Chicago Bears traded defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. to the Atlanta Falcons ahead of roster cuts, and now the Falcons have locked him up long-term on a deal Chicago was simply never willing to pay.
The Atlanta Falcons wasted no time locking up former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. to a long-term deal, signing the former Bears second-round pick to a four-year, $78 million extension that includes $46.5 million guaranteed.
The deal comes exactly one month after the Falcons acquired Dexter in a trade with Chicago, a move that drew criticism at the time and now carries even more weight with the financial commitment Atlanta has made.
This deal helps explain why the Bears moved on from Gervon Dexter Sr. in the first place
Chicago’s decision to part ways with Dexter right ahead of roster cuts a few weeks ago was seen as controversial move. From the Bears’ side, the reasoning was straightforward. Dexter was not going to be in the team’s plans going forward, both financially and from a scheme perspective under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
The other driving factor behind the timing of the trade was the competition in the defensive tackle room. That competition continues to be an ongoing battle week in and week out now entering Week 4. The Bears really like what they have at the position, especially the young up-and-comers in Jordan van den Berg and Jayden Loving, enough to feel comfortable moving on from Dexter ahead of the final year of his rookie contract.
“Those young guys started making a push when we got through camp, along with Grady (Jarrett), (Kentavius) Street and Neville (Gallimore),” Bears general manager Ryan Poles explained. “We felt like the timing made sense for us. Really, it was about the shape in the room and how good those young guys were doing too. We feel really good and confident in our talent level at that position.”
The main reason this was controversial was the return. Chicago traded Dexter to the Falcons for a modest return of cornerback Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth-round pick, which many believed was less of a return than the Bears could have gotten.
Ian Cunningham’s familiarity with Dexter played a role in Atlanta’s pursuit
The connection between the two front offices is what made this deal a natural fit. Atlanta’s general manager Ian Cunningham is the former assistant general manager of the Bears, and he was part of Chicago’s front office when the team originally selected Dexter as a second-round pick out of Florida.
“It was huge, man. Ian obviously played a big part in drafting me,” Dexter said. “It was cool for him to still think about me, and obviously he thought highly of me just because he made that trade.”
Cunningham remained enticed by the physical traits Dexter could bring as a player and felt he was a great fit in defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s scheme in Atlanta. So, he made the deal with Ryan Poles, his former boss, to bring Dexter to the NFC South.
That decision has already paid off in a massive way for the Falcons. Dexter currently ranks second in the NFL in pressures among interior defensive linemen and eighth in the NFL with a 20.5 quarterback pressure rate among all players with at least 50 pass-rush snaps, via ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Was this a win for the Bears?
Bears fans have been irritated seeing Dexter post that level of success elsewhere, but it’s simply a move Chicago had to make. And they did right by Dexter moving him when they did before the start of the season to a team with familiarity, a better scheme that fits his strengths, and the cap space needed to sign him to this extension. Dexter simply wasn’t getting that kind of deal from the Bears.
The big thing to me is that Chicago’s defense has looked solid without Dexter and that’s without even seeing van den Berg and Loving even getting involved yet (which will come over time).
My main concern after this whole Dexter trade situation is the fact we haven’t seen Phillips get involved at all defensively, even with Tyrique Stevenson banged up this week. Poles and Allen seemed high on this guy when he was first acquired and maybe he’s still getting a grasp on the defense, but it’s been a full month. That’s the real issue here and this trade will look questionable until he actually plays on defense.
