Bears Trade DT Gervon Dexter Sr. to Falcons for CB Depth and Day 3 Pick
The Chicago Bears traded former second-round draft pick Gervon Dexter Sr. to the Atlanta Falcons for cornerback depth and a Day 3 pick. Find out more about this latest trade.
Video Transcript
What's going on everybody?
Nicholas Moriano here from Roundtable Sports.
We have a trade to discuss according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and some other insiders.
The Bears have traded former second-round draft pick interior defensive lineman Gervon Dexter Sr. To the Atlanta Falcons for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round draft pick.
Now, why does this trade happen?
What, what's kind-- going on here?
Well, in last Tuesday's practice, Gervon Dexter Sr. Left practice early.
What we now found out was a hamstring injury according to Ben Johnson before Thursday's joint practice with the Tennessee Titans.
He did not make the trip to Nashville.
Also that same day that Gervon Dexter got injured, there were trade speculation rumors surfacing that the Bears were looking to potentially shop Gervon Dexter.
Well, those rumors became reality on Sunday morning when the Bears made that trade to the Atlanta Falcons, sending Dexter back with, Ian Cunningham, the f- the former Bears assistant general manager, now general manager of the Atlanta Falcons.
Now, for the Chicago Bears, what did they do on the interior defensive line this off-season?
They revamped that room, adding guys like Neville Gallimore, Kentavius Street, James Lynch, but then also drafting Jordan Vandenberg from Georgia Tech in the sixth round, and that rookie has just continued to ascend up the depth chart, it-- going from third string to second string to playing first team snaps against Caleb Williams and the starting offense in Bears training camp practices.
He has made an impression on Ben Johnson.
He has made an impression on this Bears defense.
And in return, the Bears thought that they could, seemingly trade Gervon Dexter, shop him with all the new additions, feel comfortable there, get some depth at cornerback, especially now with Jaylon Jones, who just came back.
He suffered an injury in yesterday's game against the Tennessee Titans.
You've had Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson go out.
Terrell Smith has been injured.
Guys have been in and out at cornerback, and Clark Phillips III, someone who actually, he, he got injured in week four last season because of a torn tricep, missed the entire year after that point.
But before that, at Utah, he was a really good corner.
He's played primarily in the NFL on the outside, but only being five foot nine, over 180 pounds there.
He may be somebody that will also learn the ins and outs of nickel corner.
In Dennis Allen's defense, that is kind of expected.
Guys need to know multiple positions.
So it wouldn't be surprising if Phillips were to learn multiple positions on this Bears team, but he does provide depth at the cornerback spot.
Ryan Poles gets additional draft capital.
Dexter is now in Atlanta, and now that allows these, some of these other interior defensive linemen to get more snaps and just get reacquainted with what their, what their role is going to be in Dennis Allen's defensive line, this defense.
And what, we are just fourteen days away from that week one matchup against the Carolina Panthers on the road.
So Phillips will get time to acclimate to his new team, and the Bears will get to figure out how they wanna construct their defensive line and the ways they're going to deploy each and one of-- each and every one of those players.
