Pro Football Rumors
James Pearce Jr. faced three felony charges earlier this offseason. An arrangement has since been made which will see those charges cleared in the event the Falcons edge rusher finishes a pretrial diversion program.
The length of that program was recently extended from six months to one year, but from a legal perspective Pearce’s future is now quite clear. That is of course a separate matter than league discipline, though. Fines and/or suspensions under the personal conduct policy can be issued without criminal convictions.
On that point, Josh Kendall of The Athletic writes it is “likely” Pearce will be suspended. The option of time spent on the commissioner’s exempt list is also a possibility at this point. The exempt list effectively serves as an indefinite suspension while a league investigation takes place.
Kendall’s most recent roster projection notes a Pearce suspension can be expected. He adds, however, that the timing of a potential ban is unclear as things stand. NFL discipline is only handed down after an investigation takes place, a process which can prove to be lengthy. In any case, missed time at the start of the 2026 season on Pearce’s part would not come as a surprise at the moment.
Pearce, 22, enjoyed a highly productive start to his NFL career last season, recording 10.5 sacks. That helped the Tennessee product finish third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Pearce was absent during the voluntary portion of spring practices, but he reported to the Falcons during minicamp earlier this month. A notable defensive workload will await him whenever his next game action takes place.
Atlanta has fellow 2025 first-round pick Jalon Walker in place as another key pass rushing figure. The team’s depth chart along the edge also includes free agent signings Samson Ebukam and Azeez Ojulari. Depending on the timeline for a potential Pearce suspension, the Falcons could look to carry additional depth at the start of the campaign. Kendall names DeAngelo Malone as a logical candidate for a roster spot in the event a suspension is issued ahead of Week 1.
