The Chicago Bears Are Walking Into a Problem They Created
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- The Chicago Bears Are Walking Into a Problem They Created
The Chicago Bears have plenty to worry about before Sunday’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
They may or may not have Caleb Williams back. Their defense will be without suspended edge rusher Montez Sweat . Dayo Odeyingbo is also expected to miss time with a quadriceps injury. And after the 31-7 humiliation in Green Bay, Chicago needs to prove it can respond to adversity.
But one of the biggest problems waiting for the Bears in Atlanta is a player they chose to give away. Gervon Dexter Sr. will face Chicago less than two months after the Bears traded him to the Falcons. And through five games, the early results of that deal look brutal for the Bears.
Chicago traded Dexter on Aug. 30 for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Atlanta then gave Dexter a four-year, $78 million extension, including $46.5 million guaranteed. That was a major investment in a player the Bears had drafted in the second round only three years earlier.
So far, it is looking like money well spent.
Dexter and Falcons defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus have each generated 20 pressures this season, tying them for the NFL lead among interior defensive linemen, according to Next Gen Stats . Dexter’s 16.1 percent pressure rate is a substantial improvement from the 10.5 percent he produced for Chicago last season.
The Falcons did not merely add depth. They landed a 26-year-old defensive tackle who is emerging as one of the league’s most disruptive interior players.
And now he gets to face the team that decided he was expendable.
Every trade requires patience. A 2027 fifth-round pick could someday become a useful player. Phillips could eventually earn a real role in Chicago’s secondary. But that is not the reality right now.
Phillips has yet to play a defensive snap for the Bears. He has appeared on special teams only and was inactive for two of Chicago’s first five games. Meanwhile, Dexter is playing a major role on one of the NFL’s most active defensive fronts and has already been rewarded with a major extension.
That is a lopsided early return.
The Bears did not trade an aging player nearing the end of his career. They traded a young former second-round pick who had posted six sacks in 2025, then watched him land in a defense that maximizes his ability to attack upfield and chase plays.
Bears coach Ben Johnson did not dispute Dexter’s ability when he addressed the trade Wednesday .
“He’s a phenomenal football player,” Johnson said.
Johnson called the move a “win-win,” pointing to Dexter getting a fresh start in a Falcons defense that matches his skill set. He praised the way Atlanta’s unit plays, saying its defenders fly to the ball and constantly attack it. That explanation makes sense from Dexter’s perspective.
It is far harder to see the Bears’ side of the win-win at the moment.
Dexter will be trying to disrupt a Bears offense that turned the ball over five times against Green Bay. Chicago is still determining who will start at quarterback, even with Williams trending toward a possible return from his hamstring injury.
If Williams starts, Dexter and Atlanta’s front will be tasked with testing a quarterback making his first appearance in nearly a month. If Williams cannot go, Dexter will get a chance to pressure either Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum after their disastrous showing at Lambeau Field.
Either way, the Bears are vulnerable.
The uncomfortable part is that Chicago knows exactly what Dexter can do. Grady Jarrett played beside him last season and remains close with him. Johnson knows the talent. The organization developed Dexter, watched him take a step forward in 2025 and then chose to move him before his breakout fully arrived.
Perhaps the 2027 pick will eventually soften the blow. Perhaps Phillips will become a contributor. Perhaps Dexter’s elite start will cool off. But none of that changes the current picture.
The Bears are heading to Atlanta to face a former player they traded for minimal immediate help—one who is now producing like a premium defensive tackle and looking every bit worth the contract and trade cost the Falcons paid.
That is a problem Chicago created.
And Dexter has the perfect opportunity Sunday to make it even worse.
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The Chicago Bears Are Walking Into a Problem They Created
The Chicago Bears Are Walking Into a Problem They Created
The Chicago Bears have plenty to worry about before Sunday’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
They may or may not have Caleb Williams back. Their defense will be without suspended edge rusher Montez Sweat . Dayo Odeyingbo is also expected to miss time with a quadriceps injury. And after the 31-7 humiliation in Green Bay, Chicago needs to prove it can respond to adversity.
But one of the biggest problems waiting for the Bears in Atlanta is a player they chose to give away. Gervon Dexter Sr. will face Chicago less than two months after the Bears traded him to the Falcons. And through five games, the early results of that deal look brutal for the Bears.
Dexter has become exactly what Atlanta needed
Chicago traded Dexter on Aug. 30 for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Atlanta then gave Dexter a four-year, $78 million extension, including $46.5 million guaranteed. That was a major investment in a player the Bears had drafted in the second round only three years earlier.
So far, it is looking like money well spent.
Dexter and Falcons defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus have each generated 20 pressures this season, tying them for the NFL lead among interior defensive linemen, according to Next Gen Stats . Dexter’s 16.1 percent pressure rate is a substantial improvement from the 10.5 percent he produced for Chicago last season.
The Falcons did not merely add depth. They landed a 26-year-old defensive tackle who is emerging as one of the league’s most disruptive interior players.
And now he gets to face the team that decided he was expendable.
Chicago has received almost nothing in return
Every trade requires patience. A 2027 fifth-round pick could someday become a useful player. Phillips could eventually earn a real role in Chicago’s secondary. But that is not the reality right now.
Phillips has yet to play a defensive snap for the Bears. He has appeared on special teams only and was inactive for two of Chicago’s first five games. Meanwhile, Dexter is playing a major role on one of the NFL’s most active defensive fronts and has already been rewarded with a major extension.
That is a lopsided early return.
The Bears did not trade an aging player nearing the end of his career. They traded a young former second-round pick who had posted six sacks in 2025, then watched him land in a defense that maximizes his ability to attack upfield and chase plays.
Bears coach Ben Johnson did not dispute Dexter’s ability when he addressed the trade Wednesday .
“He’s a phenomenal football player,” Johnson said.
Johnson called the move a “win-win,” pointing to Dexter getting a fresh start in a Falcons defense that matches his skill set. He praised the way Atlanta’s unit plays, saying its defenders fly to the ball and constantly attack it. That explanation makes sense from Dexter’s perspective.
It is far harder to see the Bears’ side of the win-win at the moment.
The timing could not be worse
Dexter will be trying to disrupt a Bears offense that turned the ball over five times against Green Bay. Chicago is still determining who will start at quarterback, even with Williams trending toward a possible return from his hamstring injury.
If Williams starts, Dexter and Atlanta’s front will be tasked with testing a quarterback making his first appearance in nearly a month. If Williams cannot go, Dexter will get a chance to pressure either Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum after their disastrous showing at Lambeau Field.
Either way, the Bears are vulnerable.
The uncomfortable part is that Chicago knows exactly what Dexter can do. Grady Jarrett played beside him last season and remains close with him. Johnson knows the talent. The organization developed Dexter, watched him take a step forward in 2025 and then chose to move him before his breakout fully arrived.
Perhaps the 2027 pick will eventually soften the blow. Perhaps Phillips will become a contributor. Perhaps Dexter’s elite start will cool off. But none of that changes the current picture.
The Bears are heading to Atlanta to face a former player they traded for minimal immediate help—one who is now producing like a premium defensive tackle and looking every bit worth the contract and trade cost the Falcons paid.
That is a problem Chicago created.
And Dexter has the perfect opportunity Sunday to make it even worse.
