But here\u2019s the thing: that early stretch is the real indicator. With Billings eating up double teams and doing vet things, Dexter was unleashed. And now? Billings is healthy, Grady freakin\u2019 Jarrett is in the mix, and the Bears added rookie Shemar Turner for depth. That means Dexter doesn\u2019t have to do it all. He just has to be himself \u2014 which is bad news for quarterbacks.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-15-870x580.png\")
<\/p>\n
Gervon Dexter Sr.\u2019s 2024 Sack Total Week by Week<\/p>\n
Dennis Allen: The Mad Scientist Behind the Breakout<\/p>\n
Now let\u2019s talk scheme. Matt Eberflus might be a fine human being, but his defensive system was as vanilla as it gets. Enter Dennis Allen, the new defensive coordinator who actually knows how to use interior linemen.<\/p>\n
Allen isn\u2019t here to sit back and react. His defenses attack. We\u2019re talking stunts, blitzes, man coverage \u2014 stuff that creates chaos and gives aggressive linemen like Dexter room to feast. Per Pro Football Reference, Allen\u2019s defenses have finished top-10 in points allowed in 7 of his 11 seasons. He doesn\u2019t just coach defense; he engineers controlled violence.<\/p>\n
Dexter\u2019s versatility is a match made in hell for opposing offenses. He\u2019s played 3-4, he\u2019s played 4-3, and Allen\u2019s hybrid front gives him the freedom to blow up plays however the hell he wants. Ben Johnson, the Bears\u2019 new head coach, even said, \u201cHe can play in any scheme.\u201d That\u2019s coach-speak for \u201cWe\u2019re going to move him around and make people miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Historical Blueprint Says It\u2019s Time<\/p>\n
Look around the league \u2014 elite defensive tackles often make the leap in year two or three. Chris Jones? Didn\u2019t fully pop until year three. Jeffery Simmons? Same deal. Dexter\u2019s on that same arc. These guys don\u2019t come into the league dominating; they grow into it. And all signs say Dexter\u2019s right on schedule.<\/p>\n
Oh, and let\u2019s not forget the measurables. 6\u20196\u201d, 312 pounds, absurd athleticism for his size. At Florida, he piled up 131 tackles and showed off versatility all over the defensive line, according to SI.com. The foundation is rock solid.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/HAND-870x580.png\")
<\/p>\n
Gervon Dexter Sr.\u2019s Next Gen 2023 Draft Profile<\/p>\n
ESPN Might Be Sleeping on Him<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s projections have Dexter pegged for 590 snaps, 45 tackles, and 3.9 sacks in 2025. That\u2019s\u2026 fine. But it\u2019s safe. Conservative. Maybe even lazy.<\/p>\n
With a reloaded front, a scheme that fits like a glove, and a third-year mindset, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if Dexter flirts with 7+ sacks and a dozen TFLs. That\u2019s not hype \u2014 it\u2019s the logical outcome of everything lining up.<\/p>\n
The Team Around Him Is Finally Not a Dumpster Fire<\/p>\n
This matters: the Bears\u2019 defense doesn\u2019t suck anymore. Jaylon Johnson is locking things down in the secondary, Montez Sweat is causing havoc off the edge (fingers crossed), and now the interior rotation is deep enough to rotate without falling apart. Dexter isn\u2019t being asked to carry the whole damn line this year \u2014 he just needs to dominate his reps.<\/p>\n
And Ben Johnson seems to get it. He\u2019s publicly praised Dexter\u2019s mindset and growth, calling out how the young DT rose to the challenge when things got tough. That kind of public backing? It\u2019s not just lip service. It means Dexter has the green light to take over.<\/p>\n
Final Verdict<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no such thing as a sure thing in the NFL \u2014 but Gervon Dexter Sr. in 2025 is about as close as it gets to a breakout lock. The growth curve, the early flashes, the return of supporting vets, the influx of talent, the new attack-first scheme \u2014 it\u2019s all adding up.<\/p>\n
Dexter has already shown he can play. Now he\u2019s about to show he can dominate.<\/p>\n
So get your popcorn ready, because if you thought his 2024 mini-breakout was fun, 2025 is going to be a damn highlight reel.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s just call it what it is: Gervon Dexter Sr. is sitting on a powder keg headed into…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[391,7,7241,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-156881","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-chicago-bears","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-gervon-dexter","11":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114743008614724520","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}