Gervon Dexter says his move to Atlanta gives him the kind of setup he’s been waiting for: a defense built to let him cut loose.
The Falcons landed the 6-foot-6, 326-pound defensive tackle from the Chicago Bears on Aug. 30, sending cornerback Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth-round pick to Chicago. Atlanta didn’t just add size to the middle of its defense - it added a player who thinks the scheme can unlock his game.
Dexter is already slotted as a starting defensive tackle on the Falcons’ depth chart, lining up next to Maason Smith. Brandon Dorlus and Da’Shawn Hand are listed at defensive end.
That spot matters because Atlanta is looking for more push from the interior, and Dexter arrives after the best season of his career in Chicago. In 17 starts for the Bears in 2025, he piled up 44 tackles, 21 solo tackles, a career-high six sacks and two fumble recoveries.
What excites him most is the way Atlanta wants its front to play.
“The system is really just go,” Dexter said. “Really, go mess stuff up. So that’s what I like to do.”
That approach lines up neatly with how Dexter sees himself as a defender. He wants to shoot gaps, blow up plays before they develop and force negative outcomes instead of just eating space.
“I like to create negative plays,” Dexter said. “Obviously, sacks, tackles for loss, all of those type of plays.”
He also pointed to his own physical traits as a fit for Jeff Ulbrich’s attack-minded defense.
“A guy like me, big, fast, strong - if you get going and get going forward, man, all that stuff going to happen,” Dexter said.
There’s also a familiar face behind the move. Falcons executive Ian Cunningham was with the Bears when they selected Dexter 53rd overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he helped bring Dexter to Atlanta now as well.
“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.”
Dexter already has some comfort on the defensive line, too, after spending last season with former Falcons standout Grady Jarrett in Chicago.
Now he gets a fresh chance in Atlanta, and he believes the setup will let him play fast.
“So now to be in a defense like this, where I can actually just go, it’s going to be here,” Dexter said.
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