The Athletic’s Josh Kendall shares blunt expectation about James Pearce Jr.’s looming suspension
The Atlanta Falcons released their first unofficial depth chart of the 2026 preseason this week, ahead of Friday night’s opener against the Denver Broncos at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. ProFootballTalk and several outlets landed on the same line from it, which is where the club placed defensive end James Pearce Jr.
Pearce is listed third at his edge spot, behind Cameron Thomas and Azeez Ojulari. He had 10.5 sacks as a rookie last season, more than any other first-year player in the league, and finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
The placement has been treated as Atlanta’s own forecast of a suspension. Pearce faced three felony charges following a February arrest tied to a domestic violence allegation, and he entered a pretrial diversion program that will clear them on completion, with the length of that program later extended from six months to a year. League discipline runs separately from the courts and does not require a conviction.
The personal conduct policy carries a baseline six-game suspension for a first domestic violence offense, adjustable in either direction. Josh Kendall of The Athletic expects the Falcons to lose Pearce for considerably longer than that.
“I’m worried many Falcons fans aren’t prepared for the length of suspension James Pearce Jr. is going to get,” Kendall wrote. “I would expect the league to announce his punishment under the personal conduct policy before rosters are trimmed at the end of this month. It’s going to be at least eight games, in my opinion. Based on the league’s previous rulings in similar situations and the details of Pearce’s February arrest and subsequent three felony charges, I wouldn’t be shocked if it was more.”
Kevin Stefanski implied at his news conference on Monday that the depth chart is put together by the team’s communications department rather than by him or his coaching staff.
The practice reps carry more weight than the chart
Pearce has worked mostly with the second and third teams since camp opened on July 29, and Atlanta has not added outside pass rush help at any point this summer. That pattern was in place for weeks before any chart was published, and it came from the coaching staff rather than a communications office.
The need grew sharper on earlier this month, when Jalon Walker tore his ACL during a practice run without pads and was ruled out for the season. Walker, taken 15th overall in the same 2025 draft class that produced Pearce at No. 26, had 5.5 sacks and 27 pressures as a rookie.
Between them, the two accounted for 16 of the 57 sacks Atlanta produced in 2025, a single-season franchise record that beat the 55 the club managed in 1997 and ranked second in the NFL. Walker is now on injured reserve, and the Falcons still have no ruling on Pearce with roster cuts due at the end of the month.
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