The nightmare that was the 2024 Chicago Bears season is over. Before the transactional period starts and the roster changes begin, we will recap the seasons of most of the 53-man roster. Next up: We’re looking at the 2024 season of Gervon Dexter Sr., one of the team’s starting defensive tackles.
Gervon Dexter Sr.’s 2024 Snapshot
The 2023 second-round selection of the Chicago Bears came into the season with a question mark. Gervon Dexter Sr.’s 2.5 sacks in his rookie season weren’t great. He often struggled with his pad height and leverage, which contributed to his shortcomings in getting to the quarterback. But his 2024 season was a significant step in the right direction, and it started with a bang when he dropped Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis for his first sack of the season on a big 3rd-and-12 in Week 1:
.@GervonDexter breaks through for the SACK 💥
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 8, 2024
📺: #TENvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/XyHrc3ecpK
Dexter would record four make sacks in his next 14 games and finish the season with 51 tackles, more than doubling his tackles and sacks from year one to year two in the NFL. In addition to his five sacks (by ESPN’s count and six by PFF’s count), Dexter logged 14 quarterback hits, 19 pressures, and 24 defensive stops (tackles that result in the offensive play being deemed a failure).
Dexter missed two games in 2024 (Weeks 15 and 16) with a knee injury but has played in 32 of 34 possible games in his first two seasons with the Bears. In a season where plenty went wrong, Dexter’s emergence as a reliable force within the interior of the Bears defensive line was a welcomed presence.
By the Numbers
- Tackles: 51
- Tackles for loss: 4
- Sacks: 5
- Quarterback hits: 19
- Forced Fumbles: 0
- Fumble Recoveries: 2
Contract Status
Dexter is heading into the third year of his rookie contract in 2025 and is scheduled to make $1.83 million next season. Dexter will make $1.36 million in base salary and $472,497 in prorated signing bonuses.
Turning the Page
Gervon Dexter Sr.’s 2024 season has to be viewed as a success for Dexter and a win for GM Ryan Poles. With Dexter, Chicago now has a starting-caliber defensive tackle in the middle that he can plan around for the next two seasons while he is on his rookie contract. Dexter will be back in 2025, and I’ll be curious to see if he can take a similar leap forward in his development under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.