Bears’ D.J. Moore, Gervon Dexter Drawing Trade Interest
A number of potential trades could be worked out shortly in the Bears’ case. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has been given permission to seek a change of scenery, while backup quarterback Tyson Bagent has been the subject of attention from suitors. 
Other Chicago players could soon find themselves on the move as well. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports that wideout D.J. Moore as well as defensive tackle Gervon Dexter have mentioned during trade calls. Moore in particular is seen as being “available for the right price,” per Schultz.
Over the course of his three years in Chicago, Moore has remained a full-time starter. However, 2025 saw a notable drop-off in his production (682 yards) and usage (85 targets) compared to previous years. The former Panther still managed six touchdowns and was on the field for 85% of the team’s offensive snaps, showcasing his value in the event he is retained. As general manager Ryan Poles recently noted, though, the door is open to a trade.
“We want him here,” Poles said of Moore when speaking at the NFL Combine (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin). “We thinking highly of him… But this is the time now where we have to look at all the scenarios that will allow us to put the best team out there… He’s a guy we want here but we have to look at all the scenarios.”
One of those scenarios is a trade which would yield $16.5MM in cap savings (and generate a dead money charge of $12MM). As things stand, Moore is due to carry a cap hit of $28.5MM in 2026 absent a restructure or extension aimed at lowering that figure. On March 15, $15.5MM of the former first-rounder’s base salary for next season will become guaranteed. Clarity on this front will no doubt emerge before that date.
Dexter was a member of the Bears’ 2023 draft class, meaning he is now eligible for an extension. The Florida product was a rotational presence during his rookie season, but since then he has served as a full-time starter. Dexter has totaled 11 sacks over the past two years, and at the age of 24 he will be expected to remain productive for the foreseeable future. That will help his bargaining power on the extension front, but it will also make him an attractive trade target.
Dexter has one year remaining on his rookie pact. The benefits of a trade in his case would be negligible compared to a swap involving Edmunds or Moore, though. The chance of Chicago moving on from at least one veteran contract will be something to watch for as the new league year approaches.
Bears DE Austin Booker Primed For Breakout Season
Chicago’s biggest free agent signings this offseason were on their defensive and offensive fronts. Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, and center Drew Dalman all earned three-year contracts with values north of $40MM. Odeyingbo will now line up across from Montez Sweat on the ends of the defensive line, which will force a promising, young second-year player to come off the bench in his sophomore campaign. 
According to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic, Austin Booker seems primed for a breakout season in 2025. A fifth-round rookie last year, Booker didn’t get any starts in his first season, but he became an important member of the defensive line rotation early and often throughout the year. In the first half of the season, he frequently was on the field for a third of the team’s defensive snaps, twice seeing the field for nearly half of the defense’s snaps in games. In his limited time, he tallied 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, and three tackles for loss.
Booker benefits most this year from a lack of depth at the position. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and second-round rookie Shemar Turner both have the flexibility to kick outside in bigger formations, but behind Sweat and Odeyingbo, Booker is competing as a true edge rusher with Dominique Robinson, Xavier Carlton, Daniel Hardy, and Jamree Kromah. Robinson has more experience than Booker, but in three years, he’s struggled to stay on the field and struggled to make an impact whenever he is available. Carlton is impressive but has much to prove as an undrafted free agent rookie. Hardy was a special teamer for most of last year, and Kromah was an undrafted rookie who failed to ever see the field in 2024.
While Booker didn’t jump off the stat sheet in Year 1, he showed lots of promise. With a lack of serious competition behind him, Booker is primed to enter training camp as the first defensive end off the bench. If he can hold that position going into the regular season, the 22-year-old should have plenty of opportunities to get on the field and make a name for himself in Year 2.
Bears Sign Gervon Dexter, Tyrique Stevenson, Complete Rookie Signings
The Bears have signed both of their second-round picks. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports (via Twitter) that Chicago has signed defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. With these two signings, the Bears have officially inked their entire draft class to rookie contracts.
The Bears selected Dexter with the No. 53 pick, acquired in the team’s haul for Roquan Smith. After playing sparingly in 2020, the defensive tackle took on a bigger role at Florida during the 2021 and 2022 campaigns. In 26 games between those two seasons, Dexter compiled 105 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. Scouts were wary of his so-so pass-rushing ability and lack of speed, but Chicago was still plenty intrigued in the prospect’s six-foot-six, 310-pound makeup.
Justin Jones will be back in 2023 after starting all 17 games for Chicago last season, and the team added nose tackles Andrew Billings and third-round rookie Zacch Pickens. Dexter will surely be used as a rotational piece at both DT and NT, but the Bears will have the luxury of bringing him along slowly considering their depth in the middle of the defensive line.
Chicago ended up trading up with their other second-round pick to select Stevenson. The defensive back earned third-team All-ACC honors in 2022 after defending seven passes and picking off a pair of passes in 11 games for Miami (FL). The prospect has the size to be a top cornerback in the NFL, and he’ll probably get the first shot at the starting gig opposite Jaylon Johnson.
The Bears were one of the most active teams during and leading up to the NFL Draft, highlighted by their trade of the first-overall pick. When all was said and done, the team ended up selecting 10 rookies:
- Round 1, No. 10 (from Saints through Eagles): Darnell Wright, OT (Tennessee) (signed)
- Round 2, No. 53 (from Ravens): Gervon Dexter, DT (Florida)
- Round 2, No. 56 (from Jaguars): Tyrique Stevenson, CB (Miami)
- Round 3, No. 64: Zacch Pickens, DT (South Carolina) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 115 (from Saints): Roschon Johnson, RB (Texas) (signed)
- Round 4, No. 133 (from Eagles): Tyler Scott, WR (Cincinnati) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 148 (from Patriots through Ravens): Noah Sewell, LB (Oregon) (signed)
- Round 5, No. 165 (from Saints through Eagles): Terell Smith, CB (Minnesota) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 218: Travis Bell, DT (Kennesaw State) (signed)
- Round 7, No. 258: Kendall Williamson, S (Stanford) (signed)