The Chicago Bears did not view defensive tackle Gervon Dexter as worthy of an extension. So, in the last year of his rookie deal, the team traded him to the Atlanta Falcons for Clark Phillips and a fifth-round pick. They essentially dumped Dexter on the Falcons to move on from him.
However, within a month of getting traded to the Falcons, the franchise handed him a four-year, $78M contract extension. The average annual value is more than Devonte Wyatt of the Green Bay Packers.
Did the Chicago Bears miss on Gervon Dexter?
That is quite the extension for a player that the Bears dumped for a backup and a Day three pick. It brings up the thought that the team might have sold low, and they will lose out on a rising player.
Dexter is only 24 years old. As a rookie, he had a 9.6% pressure rate as a pass rusher. In his second season, that jumped to 10.7%. While he had a career high in sacks and pressure in his third NFL season, he also had a career-high in snaps. He still had a 9.2% pressure rate, though.
While the sample size is tiny, his pressure rate through three games with the Falcons is 18%. It is easily the best three-game stretch of his NFL career, regardless of sample size.
It is easy to say that the scheme did not quite fit Dexter. That is why his pressure rate dropped in his third year despite his snaps increasing. Still, the team had him for two years before that and did not see the same impact from him. Considering they drafted him, the defense was an initial fit.
This is looking like a miss by the Bears. Dexter is an impactful defender on a Falcons defense that was looking for some help. Meanwhile, the Bears' interior defensive line does not look strong.
So far this year, Grady Jarrett has 121 snaps, Kentavius Street has 75 snaps, Neville Gallimore has 60 snaps, and Jordan van den Berg has 41 snaps. Jarrett is the only interior lineman with more than one pressure. The other three have three pressures combined over three weeks.
Dexter is thriving, and the Falcons' defense is better than expected. Meanwhile, the Bears could use a young defensive tackle who is good at rushing the passer. That might not come with the fifth-round pick they got from Atlanta.
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