Bears Cash Out on Gervon Dexter Sr., Send Him to Falcons for Clark Phillips and a Fifth

The Chicago Bears just decided that 17 starts and six sacks from Gervon Dexter Sr. were best converted into a depth cornerback and a day-three lottery ticket. According to Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter, Chicago is shipping the durable defensive tackle to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick.

For a casual fan, this looks like a classic preseason depth swap. But if you have been watching the trenches, you know Atlanta just bought a plug-and-play interior wrecker while Chicago decided their secondary needed more immediate help than their defensive line.

"Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter reported the trade, noting Dexter started 17 games last season."

Dexter is not exactly a throw-in piece. He started all 17 games for the Bears last season and logged six sacks. Trading a guy who never misses a Sunday for a fifth-rounder and a rotational corner is the kind of move that makes you wonder what the front office sees that the stat sheet is hiding.

On the other side, the Bears get Phillips, a 24-year-old corner who played 16 games for the Falcons last year. He managed 35 tackles, five passes defensed, and one interception. He is a solid football player, but swapping a starting defensive tackle for a guy fighting for nickel snaps is certainly a choice.

This is the exact type of late-August roster shuffle that makes bettors double-check the defensive prop markets. Atlanta just fortified a run defense that looked decent in their 17-12 preseason win over the Miami Dolphins, while Chicago is betting their pass rush can survive without its most reliable anchor.

Both guys now have to learn a new playbook with the regular season staring them in the face. Dexter should slide right into the Falcons defensive rotation, while Phillips has to prove he was worth giving up a 17-game starter. We will see who actually won this trade the first time an opposing running back breaks through the middle of the Chicago defense.