Bears trade DT Gervon Dexter to Atlanta for CB Clark Phillips III, fifth-round pick

The Bears didn’t deem Gervon Dexter Sr. to be the best fit for their defensive line, and they have questions about health in the back end of their defense.

That made it easy to explain why they agreed to a trade Sunday morning that sends Dexter to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round draft pick.

Dexter, who had six sacks last season, was a 2023 second-round pick and is entering the final year of his contract. The Bears signed three defensive tackles in free agency — Neville Gallimore, Kentavius Street and James Lynch — and chose Jordan van den Berg in the sixth round.

Dexter left practice early Tuesday with a hamstring injury and did not make the trip to Nashville, Tenn., for the joint practice and preseason finale with the Titans. But the injury is not believed to be serious.

Based on how players have been used recently in practice, it appeared Street had moved ahead of Dexter on the depth chart. Ultimately the Bears will use a wave of players on the line, and the coaching staff believes the newcomers are better fits as disruptive interior linemen.

The deal reunites Dexter with former Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, who is now the GM in Atlanta.

The Falcons drafted Phillips in the fourth round in 2023 out of Utah. He appeared in 28 games with seven starts over the last three seasons. A triceps injury limited him to one game in 2025.

He was competing to be the nickel cornerback a year ago, as the previous Falcons coaching staff thought the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Phillips might be a good fit in the slot. He played on the outside in his first two seasons.

Like Dexter, Phillips is entering the final year of his contract. The Bears have some durability questions at cornerback. Kyler Gordon is likely to start the season on the physically unable to perform list, and Jaylon Jones exited Saturday night’s preseason finale at Nissan Stadium with a hamstring injury.