How Bears have noticed Gervon Dexter improvements, even before putting on the pads

Although second-year defensive tackle Gervon Dexter hasn’t yet donned pads in practice, the Bears have already observed improvements from him. In fact, before the team took to the practice field, head coach Matt Eberflus noticed a shift.

As the club concluded its first round of OTAs on Thursday, Eberflus remarked, “I noticed the body composition first.” “It was excellent. He transformed his physique throughout his time off, making him considerably quicker and slimmer now.

When players are practicing in their shorts, there’s not much to evaluate in the trenches, but Eberflus did note that Dexter’s get off at the snap had improved. Dexter’s response time—or rather, his lack thereof—was lightning fast. was, at the time of writing, one of the more serious criticisms of his game. One major reason for this is that the Bears want Dexter to attack a single gap right away, while in college, he was expected to read and respond to the offensive line.

Because he’s such a large, tall guy, that was one thing he had to concentrate on before pad level, according to Eberflus. And he has put effort into those areas. But because he put a lot of effort into improving his body, his movement and athleticism are even greater now.

Although Eric Washington, the new defensive coordinator for the Bears, hasn’t watched Dexter practice with pads on closely, he may be able to identify gains by reviewing his 2023 footage.

“Merely observing the footwork,” Washington remarked. A few of those insignificant yet crucial details involving him. observing his posture and pad height.

Washington also mentioned Dexter’s “growing confidence” as he transitions from Year One to the offseason and complimented how he is learning throughout this time.

Second Year.

He is brash. He thinks he can make a big impact and that he belongs in the starting lineup.

Since the Bears haven’t found a replacement for departing starting three-tech Justin Jones in free agency, Dexter will be crucial. Although Cowart was added by general manager Ryan Poles during the offseason, Cowart is not anticipated to play a starter’s role. Dexter will so take over as this season’s likely starter.

In his debut season, Dexter got off to a rough start but got much better as the game went on. He thus saw an increase in playing time throughout the second half. Dexter averaged 23.5 snaps each game in the first nine games. Throughout the last eight games, that increased to 27.5 snaps.

His output also went up. Dexter finished Week 1 with nine tackles, three quarterback hits, and no sacks. up to nine. However, he has 2.5 sacks, 11 tackles, and nine quarterback hits after Week 10.