The Chicago Bears are moving on from Gervon Dexter Sr. just as the roster crunch hits its peak.
On Sunday morning, the former Florida defensive lineman was dealt to the Atlanta Falcons, with Chicago landing a fifth-round pick and cornerback Clark Phillips III in return, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Dexter entered the league as the No. 53 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and carved out a real role in Chicago. Over his two seasons with the Bears, he played in 49 games, started 32 times and piled up 95 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. He also logged 30 quarterback hits during that stretch.
The move doesn’t read like a verdict on Dexter’s play. By the numbers and on film, he held up fine for Chicago.
But Bears general manager Ryan Poles was comfortable making the deal because Jordan van den Berg, a 2026 sixth-round pick, kept pushing his way into the picture. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket reportedly took starting reps throughout training camp and preseason, and strong work from undrafted defensive tackle Jaden Loving and others made Dexter, who is in the final year of his deal, the odd man out in the Bears’ defensive line group.
For Atlanta, Dexter gives the Falcons another interior pass-rush piece to pair with third-year lineman Brandon Dorlus. The 2024 fourth-round pick out of Oregon finished with 8.5 sacks in 2026, and now he’ll be part of a duo that could make life tougher inside for opposing quarterbacks.
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