The Falcons’ pass rush took a hit before the season even really got rolling, and now Atlanta is waiting on the league to decide what happens next with James Pearce Jr.
Falcons president and CEO Greg Beadles said Wednesday that the team expects clarity from the NFL in the coming days. Beadles also said Pearce has handled everything the organization has asked of him.
"First of all, James has been doing really well, everything that we want him to do on and off of the field, so that's been great," Beadles told Falcons reporter Kelly Price. "And we do expect sometime in the next several days that we'll hear from the league just officially what the stance is going to be with him going forward."
Pearce is facing the possibility of a suspension after his February arrest, when he was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police, resisting an officer with violence, and misdemeanor stalking. Around the league, there has been speculation that the punishment could be an eight-game ban, though nothing has been announced.
That uncertainty comes at a bad time for Atlanta. The Falcons poured resources into fixing their pass rush in the 2025 NFL Draft, and for a while it looked like the plan was working. First-rounders Jalon Walker and Pearce combined for 16 sacks last season, and Pearce led the team - and all rookies - with 10.5 sacks.
Now Walker is officially out for the season after tearing his ACL in camp, and if Pearce also misses time, Atlanta’s defense loses a major chunk of the production that helped the team finish second in the NFL with 57 sacks last year, a franchise record.
If the Falcons do need more help off the edge, Joey Bosa, Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos are among the options they could explore.
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