For an NFL general manager, there is nothing that gives you a serotonin boost like striking a trade in the weeks leading up to the season. It's become increasingly prevalent in recent years. If a player gets hurt or struggles in camp, why not call another team in order to acquire insurance at a given position?
It's a smart way to conduct business, and the league's best GMs are well aware of that notion. Speaking of, Ian Cunningham has made a good amount of deals in his first offseason as the GM of the Atlanta Falcons, but we're at the point in the summer where he needs to stop picking up the phone.
Unfortunately for Cunningham, it sounds like that could be tougher than it sounds. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Chicago Bears have had multiple trade discussions involving young DT Gervon Dexter, and it sounds like there's a real chance the Bears move on from him in the near future.
Sources: The #Bears have had trade discussions involving DT Gervon Dexter, and there are multiple scenarios where a deal could get done sending him to a new team.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 25, 2026
Dexter, still just 24 years old, started all 17 games last season and has 13.5 career sacks and 42 QB hits. He’s in… pic.twitter.com/P9IaZ5LCR7
This may sound inconsequential, but it isn't. Ian Cunningham spent the last four seasons in Chicago as the assistant GM to Ryan Poles before the Falcons hired him, and when Dexter was drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Cunningham was in that war room. He helped draft this kid.
The Atlanta Falcons would be making a mistake trading for Gervon Dexter
You'd think that because of the connections to the Bears' organization (and Gervon Dexter himself), and the Falcons have a weaker defensive tackle room that Atlanta would be the most logical destination for a trade to materialize. But this is a deal that the front office must avoid like the plague.
The Dirty Birds' DT room is weak, but it's better than we think. Maason Smith has had a good summer, Zach Harrison and Brandon Dorlus have bright futures, and Da'Shawn Hand and La'Cale London have been quality veterans--and there's still a chance Chris Williams or Carlos Allen Jr. steals a roster spot.
The Bears are only looking to trade the 24-year-old because he's entering the final year of his rookie deal and aren't looking to pay him premium money on a long-term extension. And considering that sixth-round rookie Jordan van den Berg is stealing his job, it's fairly obvious Dexter's nothing special. He's solid as a pass-rusher, but horrible against the run--and the Falcons don't need more of that.
If Chicago wouldn't pay him, why would the Falcons? Harrison is entering a contract year of his own, and Dorlus and Smith's contracts will expire after 2027. So while they logistically have the cap space to pay the former second-round pick, that money would be better-spent going to any of these three.
Ian Cunningham has been reluctant to give away draft capital without any strings attached, and while Gervon Dexter has proven to be a solid player in the past, the Atlanta Falcons should steer clear. Even with these connections, they'd be better off rolling with their defensive tackle rotation as it stands.
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