Just two weeks before the season started, the Atlanta Falcons made a major splash move. On the morning of roster release day, the Falcons acquired DT Gervon Dexter Sr. from the Chicago Bears in large part to the Ian Cunningham connection. Besides, all it took to get the deal done was Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick.
Dexter had just two weeks to learn Atlanta's defensive system before making his season debut, and given their issues off the edge, they were asking him to be one of their top pass-rushers despite playing on the interior. And while his Falcons debut wasn't great, he shined in the Week 2 loss.
While his first-ever game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was a pathetic 34-3 blowout loss against the Carolina Panthers, Dexter wasn't the reason for the loss. In fact, he was probably the best player for the Falcons on Sunday, as he recorded six pressures, a half-sack, a PBU, and a QB hit on the day.
Gervon Dexter Sr. is proving the Atlanta Falcons right for trading for him
For reference, Gervon Dexter Sr. logged just two pressures in the opener, so this was a considerable upgrade. You could tell he looked more comfortable out there this time around, and the fourth-year defender out of Florida lived up to his Dexter name the way he was killing that Carolina offensive line.
And the advanced stats back it up. According to Pro Football Focus, Dexter's 78.5 defensive grade in Week 2 ranked ninth among all defensive tackles, while his 89.6 pass-rush grade ranked third behind Deone Walker and Keeanu Benton--while Walker (7) was the only DT with more pressures this week.
The only interior linemen with more pressures than the 24-year-old this season are Walker and Jeffery Simmons, as he's tied with Osa Odighizuwa, Dexter Lawrence, DeForest Buckner, and Zach Allen with eight--but he has one more pressure through two games than Eagles star Jalen Carter.
No wonder his 81.2 pass rush grade on the season ranks seventh out of 107 qualified DLs, while his 77.0 defensive grade ranks 14th. It seems that the scenery change was just what was needed to motivate him, and since he's in a contract year, he could soon reap the rewards with a new deal.
Meanwhile, Clark Phillips III has not played a single snap on defense for the Bears and Dexter will most likely be better than whoever Chicago drafts with that fifth-rounder. And even though Cunningham doesn't love parting with draft picks, he knew this opportunity was too good to pass up.
After acquiring him, Cunningham said as much, and it still holds true now. There aren't many defensive tackles playing better than Gervon Dexter right now, and he fits the vision of what they want to do at the position: bring in big, explosive athletes meant to test opposing offenses.
"When you can get a player of Gervon's caliber for the price we paid, we feel it's in our best interest to do that."
Not only is Gervon Dexter proving the Falcons right for acquiring him, he's starting to play his way into their long-term plans and increase his chances of getting the long-term extension he clearly covets--and this journey started with a breakout game on a day where there wasn't much to be excited about.
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