Grading Chicago Bears rookies through seven weeks of 2023

Round 2 Chicago Bears DT Gervon Dexter

Gervon Dexter has looked good, and the main question with him is why he does not play more. He was eased in with 23 snaps against the Green Bay Packers, then played 33 in week two, showing progression. However, he dropped to 26 snaps in week three despite the game having plenty of garbage time for him to get work. Then, he played a career-low ten snaps against the Denver Broncos.

Dexter was back up to 33 snaps against the Commanders, and he had six pressures, per PFF. That is the best game of his season, and he only has two pressures for the rest of the season. What is shocking is seeing him go from a Thursday night game when he excelled, using the time off to get healthier and stronger, and then he played just 16 snaps against the Vikings. He played 27 snaps against Las Vegas and had one of his two pressures in that game. His recent play has been great and trending up.

One note is that he has played 111 passing-down snaps and just 57 run-down snaps. That is 66% of the snap share. On top of that, since week four, that number is up to 71 snaps as a pass rusher and 15 in run defense. That is 83% of the snaps on passing downs. It is clear the Bears do not trust him or want him on the field for run-downs.

Gervon Dexter Grade: B