The Bears’ long-rumored Gervon Dexter Sr. move is finally here.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Chicago is trading the defensive tackle to the Atlanta Falcons for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick. Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham, now in Atlanta, was Chicago’s assistant GM when the Bears picked Dexter in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Dexter leaves behind a solid body of work in Chicago. He totaled 115 tackles, 42 quarterback hits, 13.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries and three pass deflections.
Last season, he finished second on the Bears with six sacks. He was also entering the final year of his rookie contract.
That contract situation is the heart of the deal. Dexter was set to command at least $25 million per year on his next deal, and the Bears chose to cash out now rather than risk losing him for less later. He had become an important piece of the defensive front, which makes the move both understandable and a little surprising.
Chicago may already have a replacement angle taking shape. Rookie sixth-round pick Jordan van den Berg has been turning heads in training camp and the preseason, to the point that he might be the projected Week 1 starter against the Carolina Panthers.
The return piece gives the Bears another body in the secondary. Phillips was Atlanta’s fourth-round pick in 2023 and has started seven of 28 games. He played only one game last year, and a triceps injury wiped out the 2025 campaign for the Falcons.
How Phillips fits in remains to be seen, but Chicago could use the help. After several injuries in the secondary, he gives the Bears a depth option right away.
Ryan Poles has not been especially active on the trade market this offseason, but this one stands out. It gives the Bears a notable move heading toward 2026, and it also fits the feeling that rookies could end up carrying more weight for this team than anyone expected.
In Other News...
Bears Roster Battles Just Got More Complicated After Final Preseason Win
The Bears closed the preseason with a 24-15 win over the Titans, a game that at least gave the coaching staff a better final snapshot than the one they got the week before. Tyson Bagent steadied the offense, rookie receiver Zavion Thomas kept turning heads, and T.J. Edwards did enough to remind everyone why he remains a stabilizing piece on defense as Chicago tries to sort through the last few decisions before roster cuts.
What made the finale especially tricky was how crowded a few of those battles have become. The wide receiver group still has plenty of depth and uncertainty, while players such as Salvon Ahmed and James Lynch are fighting for chances to stick in a picture that keeps changing from week to week. A stronger finish in August helps, but it also leaves the Bears with more names to weigh and fewer easy answers than they had going in. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Have A Few Roster Decisions That Could Change Week 1
Training camp and preseason are starting to sort out the Bears 2026 roster picture, and the most interesting part may be how much of it is still in motion. A projected 53-man list gives a pretty good sense of where the team stands across quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and the defensive groups, but the final cutdown always has a way of exposing which jobs are truly settled and which are just waiting for one more good or bad week.
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 🡒]
Bears Defensive Tackle Gamble Is About To Face An Early Test
The Bears move to send Gervon Dexter Sr. to Atlanta for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick was driven by salary-cap math as much as roster-building, but it also opened a real hole along the defensive front. Dexter was in the final year of his contract, so Chicago chose flexibility over keeping a veteran interior presence, and now the focus shifts to how the team absorbs that loss without sacrificing too much up front.
A big part of that answer could rest with rookie Jordan van den Berg, who is now expected to take on a meaningful role on the Bears defensive line. The intrigue is obvious, because his importance has grown quickly after the trade, but his ability to handle that jump is still largely unproven. For a defense that wants to stay sturdy in the middle, this is the kind of early-season test that can reveal whether the Bears made the right gamble. [Read more 🡒]