Why Falcons are reportedly trading for Bears veteran DT with 13.5 career sacks

The Atlanta Falcons are heading into the 2026 NFL season with some question marks on the defensive side of the ball. While they have a ton of talent on offense, their defense, especially along the line, is a bit uncertain.

Jalon Walker is out for the season, and James Pearce Jr. is suspended for eight weeks. This defensive front could use a bit more help, especially at pass rusher.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network is reporting that the Falcons are getting some front seven help, but not in the form of an edge rusher. Instead, the Falcons are reportedly trading with the Chicago Bears for veteran 13.5-career-sack defensive tackle Gervon Dexter.

Why Falcons reportedly trade with Bears for Gervon Dexter

"The Bears are trading DT Gervon Dexter Sr. to the Falcons, as they add a player who started 17 games last season, per me and @AdamSchefter," Rapoport reports. "The Bears are getting back Clark Phillips and a 5th-rounder."

While the Falcons are giving up Phillips, a 24-year-old depth cornerback, and a 2027 fifth-round pick, which isn't nothing, the defensive tackle they're getting back is a very solid one.

Dexter is 24 years old and will be a free agent after the 2026 season. He's played in 49 games in three years with the Bears, including 17 starts in 2025.

He has three passes defended and four fumble recoveries, but the really important statistics are the best-looking ones for Dexter.

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He had 6.0 sacks last season and 5.0 the year before. With 51 tackles in 2024 and 44 in 2025, along with 10 total tackles for loss and 30 QB hits over the past two seasons, Dexter has turned into a quality interior defender.

Dexter had 62 pressures in three seasons with the Bears. He'll be a nice pass-rushing interior defensive lineman for the Falcons' front seven.

Zach Harrison, Brandon Drolus, and Maason Smith now have a new defensive tackle to compete with, and Dexter should see plenty of playing time this upcoming season as arguably the best pass-rushing defensive tackle on the Falcons roster.

With a need for more pass-rushing upside, this move from the Falcons makes a lot of sense. He'll help them in a big way up front, and even if he leaves in free agency after a year, the compensatory pick they'd get back would likely be a fifth-rounder at least.

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