Bears training camp update: Why Dennis Allen’s defense can bring out Gervon Dexter’s best

Over the past two seasons, Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter has shown glimpses of the player he could become. At times, he’s made plays showing why general manager Ryan Poles selected him in the second round in 2023. But he hasn’t done it consistently enough.

Dexter’s expecting that to change this season. After spending the spring and the first three weeks of training camp under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s scheme, Dexter feels he can be his best this fall.

“I’ll be able to be a more dominant player,” Dexter told reporters Thursday at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. “My presence in the game will be felt a little more, I believe.”

Dexter has made his presence known at times.

After a relatively quiet rookie season, Dexter started last year with four sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 14 tackles. But that production slowed down the rest of the year. He finished the season with five sacks, 19 quarterback hits and 51 tackles.

Dexter should benefit from some changes, both personally and with the team. He told reporters Thursday that he added lean muscle over the offseason. It’s helped him improve in all aspects of his game and be more effective, especially on early downs.

Poles also boosted the defensive line to add more support around him. The Bears added defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett during free agency and also drafted defensive tackle Shemar Turner in the second round this year. That’ll allow the Bears to attack in waves and keep players fresh throughout a drive.

Playing in Allen’s defense will likely help Dexter the most. Allen has shown during camp that he will move players around the defensive line and show different fronts to confuse the offense. He’s even included a five-man front.

“I’ll be able to be a more dominant player. My presence in the game will be felt a little more, I believe.”

—  Gervon Dexter, Bears defensive tackle

In those moments, Dexter has primarily played either the nose tackle or three-technique. Dexter has enjoyed it so far and the opportunities it could create.

“It’s one-on-one,” Dexter said. “I think anytime you got a group of five good rushers against five offensive linemen, I like our odds and the type of players we have in our room. I like our odds. So I think it’s great, it’s how you can get some of the guys on in one-on-ones.”

Dexter is looking forward to showing what he can do against the Buffalo Bills starting Friday. The Bears are set to host the Bills for a joint practice Friday at Halas Hall before playing them in a game Sunday night.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson already announced that the starters will play in Sunday’s game. While it’s still not certain what the Bills will do, Dexter was excited to see how his work over the offseason translates to a game.

“I’ve seen myself grow, learning, so I just want to see my stuff take that next step,” Dexter said. “Some of the things that I’ve gotten better with in practice, I wanna see it in the game.”

Left tackle battle update

The starting left tackle competition Thursday looked a lot like it did the previous day, when there were some changes on who played where.

Returning starter Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie continued to take snaps at left tackle. Rookie Ozzy Trapilo only worked at right tackle Thursday.

Jones and Benedet traded snaps with the first team at left tackle while Amegadjie worked in with the third team. Trapilo earned second-team snaps at right tackle during team drills. Benedet was in with the first team during a two-minute drill toward the end of practice.

Practice notes

Quarterback Caleb Williams had one of his sharpest practices of camp Thursday as he continued to build a strong rapport with wide receiver Rome Odzune for a second consecutive day.

Williams found Odzune multiple times during both 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills. He also continued his strong camp connection with wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus for a couple of 7-on-7 touchdowns.

That connection with Odunze was showcased during a two-minute drill at the end of practice. The Bears’ first-team offense started a drive at its own 20-yard line, trailing 21-20 with 1:46 left in the game.

After a defensive pass interference call and a short pass to running back D’Andre Swift, Williams completed a 25-yard pass to Odzune to get the ball to the defense’s 41. Williams hit Odunze for another 15-yard pass to move to the 20, and he spiked the ball with a second left to set up the field goal.

The Bears ended practice with a fun drill. Johnson had the defensive linemen try to stop offensive linemen from catching passes.

Injury update

Backup quarterback Case Keenum left near the start of Thursday’s practice and didn’t return. Keenum stretched and took part in individual drills before leaving the first 11-on-11 session.

Running backs Roschon Johnson (foot) and Ian Wheeler, safety Tysheem Johnson, linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, rookie cornerback Zah Frazier (personal) and rookie defensive tackle Turner (ankle) also missed practice Thursday. Kicker Cairo Santos had a day off.