Turf Show Times
Nearly every NFL media consumer felt the Los Angeles Rams fleeced the Atlanta Falcons earlier this year during the 2025 draft. Atlanta sent LA their 2026 first-round pick in exchange for the opportunity to select Tennessee EDGE James Pearce 26th overall.
While the Falcons felt confident in their ability to win the NFC South, quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. did not take the step forward the team was expecting. Atlanta instead opened the year with a 3-7 record. Penix suffered a season-ending injury and the 2026 first rounder seemed destined to land in the top 10.
But Kirk Cousins has other plans in mind, and apparently so does Pearce. Cousins has led Atlanta to two-straight wins over the Buccaneers and Cardinals. Pearce now has eight sacks and is shooting up the defensive rookie of the year list.
The Falcons are squarely out of contention this season. Still, the trade that once looked very one-sided now seems like a miss opportunity for the Rams.
These were the opening odds for NFL defensive rookie of the year at the season’s opening:
Ahead of the final two regular season games, this is now where the leaderboard stands:
Schwesinger is the favorite, though he wasn’t even on the radar back in September. It’s a difficult path for off-ball linebackers to earn these honors, and I believe Pearce still has a realistic chance to take the award.
The last off-ball linebacker to win DROY was Shaquille Leonard in 2018. Since then, five EDGE rushers and one corner have taken up the mantle:
Pearce is coming on at the right time, and he could change award voters’ minds at the close of the regular season. The rookie has posted sacks in six-straight games and is up to eight on the year. Jared Verse won DROY with just 4.5 sacks a year ago, though his advanced pass rushing metrics and pressures showed consistent production even without QB takedowns.
This is a difficult question to answer.
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