Chicago Bears DT Gervon Dexter keeps batting down passes in practice

LAKE FOREST – Chicago Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter has a secret weapon. The second-year pro is looking to make a major leap this season as he steps into the starting lineup. There’s one area of his game, though, that fans aren’t talking about.

Bears fans who have followed the team know about Dexter’s athleticism, his quick first step and his ability to dent the pocket from the inside. He had 12 quarterback hits as a rookie last season. During training camp this summer, Dexter appears to have added another weapon to his arsenal.

Throughout camp, he has batted down pass after pass after pass.

“It’s natural,” Dexter said. “I’ve got long arms. I’m a bigger, taller guy, so if there’s a situation where I can’t get all the way to the quarterback and get that sack, you’ve got to get your hands up.”

The 22-year-old Dexter is listed at 6-foot-6, 312 pounds on the team’s roster. He was a high-level basketball player growing up in Florida. He has impressive length for somebody who is tasked with doing the dirty work in the trenches. But batting down passes at the NFL level is a lot more complicated than simply being tall.

Dexter was just as tall during his three seasons in college at Florida, where he batted down only four passes over 38 games. Being able to time it up right and do it within the parameters of the defense is a practiced skill and it’s something that the Bears have been teaching all their young defensive linemen.

With the defensive line, the goal is to disrupt the quarterback. Sacks, obviously, are the No. 1 way to do that. Tossing a hand in a passing lane can be incredibly effective. Sometimes, it’s simple math, too. If the opposing quarterback is getting the ball out quickly, the defensive linemen don’t have as much time to reach the QB.

The Florida defensive system where Dexter played in college had a very defined role for him.

“In college, for me, if I didn’t get a sack, then the play was over,” Dexter said.

That’s not the case in the NFL. In 17 games last season with the Bears, Dexter played about 40% of defensive snaps. He totaled two pass breakups. Now in the starting lineup, his playing time is likely to increase and his ability to affect passing lanes is likely to become more apparent.

It definitely has in practice against Caleb Williams and the Bears’ first-team offense.

“I’ve actively gotten better,” Dexter said. “Now, it has come in my head that, ‘OK, if I’m not there, I need to get my hands up.’ Or if I’m going to split a rush guy and I’m at the point where I’m right in front of the quarterback, I have to get my hands up.”

To be the disruptive player the Bears want him to be – they selected him with the 53rd overall pick in the 2023 draft – Dexter has to do more than rush the passer. Part of it is situational awareness and part of it is reacting to the quarterback’s movements and cues, said his defensive line coach Travis Smith.

I’ve actively gotten better. Now, it has come in my head that, ‘OK, if I’m not there, I need to get my hands up.’”

—  Gervon Dexter, Bears defensive tackle

“He’s in year two, and along with some of the other guys too, they have a better awareness pre-snap of what’s the situation?” Smith said. “Where are we on the field? Oh, it’s empty [backfield]. If there’s no chippers [extra blockers] in empty we’ve got to make sure – ball’s coming out quick – so I’ve got to make my one run rush move and then I’ve got to play the front hand of the quarterback. If that hand’s off the ball, my hands are going up.”

At 6-6, Dexter has long arms. Pro Bowl defensive end Montez Sweat is also 6-6 with long arms. Rookie Austin Booker, same deal. The Bears like length on the defensive line. Those long limbs help engage with offensive linemen, but they can also be a weapon when all else fails and the QB rears back to throw.

There’s a fine line, though. Throwing hands up in the air remains the last resort.

“[It’s] just making sure that No. 1 that we get the pocket collapsed,” defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. “We don’t want to sacrifice that and turn into the volleyball team, if you will, so we want to make sure that we’re actively rushing, that we’re working our edges.”

With more playing time and more reps under his belt, Dexter looks like he’s starting to understand just where that fine line is.