Bears trade DT Gervon Dexter to Falcons for CB Clark Phillips III, draft pick

The Atlanta Falcons are reshaping their defensive front. The Bears are trading defensive tackle Gervon Dexter to Atlanta in exchange for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a 2027 fifth-round pick, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Dexter, a former second-round pick in 2023, has racked up 11 sacks over the past two seasons and is still just 24 years old. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract and had been seeking a new deal — a factor in Chicago's willingness to move him. The Falcons' new general manager, Ian Cunningham, is intimately familiar with Dexter from his time as Chicago's assistant GM when the Bears drafted him.

The Bears, meanwhile, get a young corner in Phillips, a 2023 fourth-round pick, as they retool the back end of their defense. There had been chatter this week that Chicago was comfortable parting with Dexter, with him in the final year of his rookie contract and in part due to the emergence of sixth-round rookie Jordan van den Berg, who impressed in camp and even earned reps with the starters.

For Atlanta, the addition bolsters a defensive line that wants more interior disruption. Dexter started all 17 games a year ago and gives the Falcons a versatile, ascending piece up front — one whose contract situation will now become Atlanta's to resolve.