Falcons defensive end James Pearce Jr. is set to return from his eight-game suspension after Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers, with Atlanta planning to have him back on the active roster for Week 9.
Speaking with reporters on Friday, head coach Kevin Stefanski said Pearce has done everything the team has asked while serving the suspension and that the plan is for him to be available next week. Stefanski also said the team still has not finalized how much Pearce will be used right away.
“He’s done everything that we have asked, everything that he has been allowed to do, he’s done a great job,” Stefanski said, via Josh Kendall.
“The plan is for him to play next week. We will see what that looks like,” Stefanski said, via Kendall.
Pearce’s suspension stems from a February incident in Miami that led to five charges. In the complaint, the victim, Rickea Jackson of the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA, said she was driving when she noticed Pearce following her.
The two had dated for three years before recently breaking up. Jackson said she stopped at a red light, and Pearce got out of his car and tried to open her door.
According to the report, Jackson drove off and headed toward the police department. She said Pearce then intentionally hit the back of her vehicle, tried to block her at another intersection near the station, and struck the front of her car.
Jackson called police, who responded to the scene. The arrest report says officers saw Pearce standing next to his car, drew a gun and ordered him to get down.
He got back into his vehicle and shut the door. An officer attempted to open it, but Pearce locked it and drove off, hitting the officer in the knee, according to the report.
Police said Pearce later fled on foot after crashing his car, and was eventually arrested despite resisting arrest.
He was charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a felony count of aggravated stalking, fleeing and eluding police officers, aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, and a misdemeanor resisting an officer without violence to his person.
Pearce, 22, spent two seasons as a starter at Tennessee and was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection before declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft after his junior year.
Atlanta selected him with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round. He is projected to sign a four-year, $16,756,186 contract that includes an $8,826,316 signing bonus, along with a fifth-year option the team can exercise in 2028.
In 2025, Pearce played in all 17 games for the Falcons and finished with 27 tackles, a forced fumble, 10.5 sacks and five pass defenses.
In Other News...
Falcons NFC South Push May Not Bring The Deadline Move Fans Want
The Falcons are sitting at 3-4 and still close enough to the NFC South race that the trade deadline has become a natural talking point, especially for a team that has shown it can hang around without needing a full reset. But the front offices recent history suggests patience is more likely than a splashy swing, with Ian Cunningham taking a measured approach since arriving in January and keeping the focus on smaller, more manageable deals.
For Atlanta fans hoping for a headline-grabbing addition, that is the part that tempers expectations. The Falcons may explore the market if the right fit appears, but this does not look like a team eager to chase the biggest names or pay a steep price just to make noise before the deadline. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Penix Is Turning Into A Real Falcons Question Week 8
Michael Penix Jr. keeps giving the Falcons reasons to believe they may have found something real at quarterback. Since taking over in Week 3, he has settled into the job quickly, and his latest outing against the 49ers only added to the momentum around him. The performance was clean, efficient and productive, the kind of showing that tends to change the conversation around a young passer in a hurry.
Penix now has nine touchdown passes and just one interception in his stretch as the starter, and the league has taken notice. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after that game, and he also landed 12th in the latest NFL.com quarterback rankings, right in the mix with some of the names Falcons fans know well. For a team still sorting out its long-term picture under center, every week like this makes the question a little more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Drake London Is Making The Falcons Look Right For Betting Big
Drake London has quickly become the kind of player a front office can point to when it wants to justify a major investment. After Atlanta handed the wide receiver a four-year, $141 million extension in June 2026, the early returns have been hard to ignore, with London giving the Falcons the sort of steady production and big-play presence that can reshape how a passing game is viewed around the league.
His latest statement came against San Francisco, where he caught his first touchdown of the season on a 21-yard throw from Michael Penix Jr. The connection between the two has been one of the more encouraging developments for Atlanta through the first part of the year, and it is helping the Falcons look increasingly smart for betting big on London when they did. [Read more 🡒]