The Falcons didn’t waste any time addressing a glaring need up front.
On Sunday morning, Atlanta landed defensive tackle Gervon Dexter from the Bears in a trade that sent cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round draft pick to Chicago. For a Falcons defense that was already light on interior depth, the move brings in a much-needed body with real disruption ability.
Atlanta had already tried to reinforce the spot earlier in the offseason by trading for former Jaguars DT Maason Smith, but the group still looked thin. Dexter changes that. The 24-year-old gives the Falcons a player who can hold up inside and still create problems on passing downs, which should also help open things up for the team’s young pass-rushers.
ESPN’s Ben Solak thought Atlanta came out ahead in the deal, giving the Falcons an A-minus grade and the Bears a C.
"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’s production backs up that evaluation. Last season, he posted 44 tackles, including 21 solo stops, and six sacks for Chicago.
Across his three seasons with the Bears, the former second-round pick has totaled 115 tackles, 57 solo tackles, 13.5 sacks and 42 quarterback hits. He is projected to start at nose tackle for Atlanta in 2026.
There’s also a contract wrinkle that helps explain why Chicago was willing to move him. Solak noted that Dexter is entering the final year of his deal, which made him available at a relatively low price. If the Falcons don’t extend him, they could still end up with a compensatory pick later on.
"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 trade is one piece of a bigger roster crunch in Atlanta. The NFL’s 53-man roster deadline hits Sunday at 6 p.m.
ET, and the Falcons still have major trimming to do after already cutting 11 players. They must get down by 26 more before the deadline passes.
In Other News...
Falcons May Not Be Done After Initial 53-Man Roster Decisions
The Falcons are into the next phase of roster building now that the initial 53-man group is set, but the work around the edges does not appear finished. With the NFL's deadline in the books, Atlanta is still scanning the league for possible help, and the list of available options includes a few recent cuts who could fit spots on the active roster or the practice squad.
Evan Neal, Jaydon Blue, Tyrel Dodson and Jack Pyburn are among the players being discussed as possible targets, with each bringing a different type of value depending on what Atlanta wants to address. None of it is guaranteed, of course, but the fact that the Falcons are already being linked to fresh additions suggests the final roster picture could still change before long. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons 53-Man Roster Leaves Several Spots Feeling Far From Settled
The Falcons have their initial 53-man roster in place after the NFL cutdown deadline, but it does not read like a finished product. Atlanta kept four quarterbacks, two running backs, five wide receivers, three tight ends, nine offensive linemen, nine defensive linemen and five linebackers, a mix that gives the team plenty of flexibility while also leaving a few corners of the roster feeling thin. The trade for Gervon Dexter was one of the more notable moves in getting to this point, and it came alongside the release of several fan favorites.
Even with the deadline passed, the roster looks more like a first draft than a final answer. There are still spots that invite questions, especially when a team carries that kind of volume at some positions and a little less certainty at others. Atlanta has made its opening statement on what it wants this group to be, but the way the final few jobs settled suggests the Falcons may not be done sorting out the edges of the roster just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Just Squeezed Out A Defender Few Fans Expected To Lose
The Falcons kept reshaping their roster on waiver day, claiming linebacker Yasir Abdullah, edge rusher Jared Ivey and tackle Cameron Williams while opening spots by moving on from defensive tackle Zach Harrison, along with defensive backs Natrone Brooks and Jammie Robinson. It was a busy churn for a team still sorting out the back end of its roster, and the additions hint at Atlantas desire to keep adding depth and competition wherever it can find it.
Harrisons exit stands out because he arrived as a former third-round pick with some real momentum before injury interrupted what had looked like a promising 2025 season. But after Atlanta added Gervon Dexter, the defensive tackle room became crowded enough that a player once seen as a developmental piece was the odd man out, a reminder of how quickly roster math can change in the NFL. [Read more 🡒]