One Chicago Bears player poised to have a breakout year following Week 2

The Chicago Bears were hoping for improved play from defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. this season. Entering his second season in the NFL, the Bears were counting on Dexter to emerge as an anchor in the middle of the team's defensive line.

It is only two games, but it is hard not to notice that Dexter has two sacks after recording 2.5 sacks all of last year.

One of the more interesting changes the Bears have made is pushing Dexter out to the edge a bit more. He recorded one sack while rushing against an offensive tackle, and he has 29 snaps as an edge rusher this season. That is 34% of his total defensive snaps, which is a big increase from the 18% of snaps he took from the edge last season. 

This has allowed DeMarcus Walker to move inside at times, and it gives the Bears the ability to run different-looking twists and stunts. 

Gervon Dexter Sr. is thriving to start his second year in the NFL.

While Dexter always had an upside as a pass rusher, one of the big questions was whether he could hold up as a full-time player due to his struggles in run defense. Dexter only played 30% of the snaps against the run last year, and while the team has been able to get him off of the field on some run downs, he is up to 34% this season, as his overall snap count has increased. 

PFF grades are not the end-all, be-all, but it is noticeable that PFF gave him a 36.2 grade against the run last season, while he has a 62 run-defense grade through two games so far this year. The tape backs this up as he looks improved in this area. 

Dexter is getting more sacks, he is playing more versatile, and he improved his weak area against the run. It is only two games, but this second-year player has lived up to his expectations.