The Bears made the Dexter move everyone had been waiting for, and now the spotlight shifts fast to a rookie who was not supposed to be the center of this conversation.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter first reported that Gervon Dexter Sr. was sent to the Atlanta Falcons for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick. With Dexter in the final year of his contract and Chicago unable to afford him, the team moved quickly to close the book and rework the defensive tackle room.
That decision puts a lot on Grady Jarrett, who is set to start, but it also throws Jordan van den Berg into a much bigger role than most would have expected when the Bears drafted him in the sixth round.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN said the Bears had high hopes for van den Berg from the start, and his rise has come fast. He already showed real production at Georgia Tech, where he finished with 11 tackles for loss, earned first-team All-ACC honors, and followed that with second-team All-ACC recognition in 2024.
At training camp, van den Berg was initially seen as a bubble player fighting for a 53-man roster spot. That changed quickly.
He started getting first-team reps and, by multiple reports, was overpowering Bears offensive linemen. What looked like a depth addition suddenly started looking like a player who would have a real say in Chicago’s defense in 2026.
Jarrett now carries the veteran load in the middle, but van den Berg is the one expected to help replace what Dexter left behind. James Lynch is also in the mix after a strong preseason, giving the Bears another possible piece at the position.
Still, the uncertainty is obvious. Van den Berg has upside, but right now that’s what it is: upside.
If he turns the training camp buzz into production, Chicago’s gamble may look sharp. If he doesn’t hit immediately, Ryan Poles will have some tough questions waiting for him.
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Bears Just Created A Big New Question On Defense
A late-week trade gave the Bears a fresh look at the roster, but it also changed the complexion of a defense that had leaned on Gervon Dexter Sr. as one of its more important interior pieces. Chicago sent Dexter to the Falcons and brought back cornerback Clark Phillips III along with a fifth-round draft pick, a move that adds depth on the back end while subtracting a young defensive tackle who had been entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Phillips arrives with limited recent playing time because of injury, so the immediate value for Chicago is clearer in theory than in practice. The Bears now have to sort out how they want to replace Dexter's presence up front while hoping Phillips can become more than a depth piece in the secondary, which leaves a real question hanging over how this defense will hold up after the shuffle. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Have A Few Roster Decisions That Could Change Week 1
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For Chicago, the biggest takeaway is that several spots still hinge on performance, health and how the staff wants to balance depth against special teams value. Injuries have already pushed some players into tougher territory, and the competition for the last few places could reshape not just the opening-day roster, but how the Bears line up when Week 1 arrives. [Read more 🡒]