The Chicago Bears didn’t pull many surprises this offseason. At least not compared to previous years. It was relatively straightforward. They made some cuts, signed some free agents, spent their draft picks, and signed undrafted free agents without dropping a serious bombshell. The closest they came was trading D.J. Moore to Buffalo, but even that wasn’t overly surprising. Many had speculated about the possibility for months. However, general manager Ryan Poles always finds a way to throw you a curveball. That finally took place on the day of the final roster cuts, when he traded defensive tackle Gervon Dexter to the Atlanta Falcons for cornerback Clark Phillips and a 5th-round pick.
People couldn’t understand it. Dexter just had his best season in 2025, notching 6 sacks and 43 quarterback pressures. Considering how inconsistent the Bears’ pass rush was last season, it feels exceedingly dangerous to send your second-best rusher packing. Why do it? Poles finally spoke to the media on the subject during his presser on September 1st. There was no hidden agenda with the move. It came down to two simple factors: the Bears did not plan to extend Dexter, and they really liked the array of young talent they have at defensive tackle.
“Those young guys started making a push when we got through camp, along with Grady (Jarrett), (Kentavius) Street and Neville (Gallimore). We felt like the timing made sense for us. Really, it was about the shape in the room and how good those young guys were doing too. We feel really good and confident in our talent level at that position.”
Ryan Poles once again showed pragmatism over stubborn loyalty.
One must not forget that Dexter was a 2nd-round pick by this GM. Others in Poles’ position would’ve argued to keep Dexter. After all, he certainly has enough production to justify it. This isn’t a player who was floundering and wasn’t contributing. However, it became apparent that defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has a specific vision for what he wants his defensive tackles to be. Dexter, while not a bad player, doesn’t fit that vision. Rather than stubbornly dig in his heels, Poles acquiesced and struck a deal that worked for both the team and Dexter.
The defensive tackle heads back south, much closer to his home in Lake Wales, Florida. He joins a team that needs defensive line help and has the money to give him an extension. Most importantly, he has a general manager in charge who believes in him. Don’t forget Ian Cunningham was right there next to Ryan Poles when Dexter was drafted. By contrast, the Bears get the 5th round pick they lost in the Garrett Bradbury trade back and add some needed depth to their banged-up secondary.
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Poles isn’t Mr. Popularity of late.
While he deserves credit for assembling the roster that went to the playoffs last season, one thing remains clear. A lot of his mistakes held the team back from reaching the Super Bowl. Most of them came on the defensive side. Dexter, Jaquan Brisker, Tyrique Stevenson, and Kyler Gordon were the only notable players he’d drafted playing on it last season. Now Dexter and Brisker are gone. Stevenson is unlikely to get an extension as well. Gordon? He may never play another down for the team as his bizarre injury saga continues.
Poles badly needs some of the young guys to step up. Austin Booker and Dillon Thieneman are chief among them. Too many of the players on defense are either free agents or trade additions. That usually doesn’t lead to success, at least not for long. No Bears defense has reached the top 10 since Poles took over. It won’t this year as well, barring a miracle. He should be grateful he and head coach Ben Johnson built the offense properly.
