Falcons ‘trust we have the guys’ to replace Pearce, Walker in pass rush

The NFL announced Friday it issued an eight-game suspension to Falcons outside linebacker James Pearce Jr. for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after he was arrested Feb. 7 for an alleged altercation with ex-girlfriend Rickea Jackson.

Pearce, a first-round pick in 2025, led the Falcons with 10 ½ sacks and 16 quarterback hits last season. He finished third in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year race and appeared poised to become the go-to pass-rushing ace the franchise has long sought.

He may still live up to the billing — but he won’t get the chance until Week 9 at the earliest.

And the Falcons aren’t only down Pearce. They’re also forced to move on without Jalon Walker, their other 2025 first-round pick and an ascending edge rusher himself. Walker, who had 5 ½ sacks and nine quarterback hits last fall, tore his ACL in practice Aug. 4 and will miss the entire season.

Two significant investments. Two talented pass rushers. Two crucial cogs to the Falcons’ pursuit of breaking the generational curse.

So, where do the Falcons go from here? The team anticipated Pearce’s suspension, coach Kevin Stefanski said, and was “pretty intentional” in its planning efforts this spring. The Falcons attacked free agency and the draft under the impression they wouldn’t have Pearce for a time period this fall.

Walker’s injury was an unexpected detriment to the plan, but the rest of it remains intact — and Stefanski said he’s “confident in our group” of internal replacements.

“We trust that we have the guys to step up,” Stefanski said after Friday night’s 27-7 preseason loss to the Denver Broncos at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

As a defense, the Falcons finished with just one sack and four quarterback hits against the Broncos.

The Falcons started Samson Ebukam and Cameron Thomas at outside linebacker in their preseason opener, while Azeez Ojulari also saw extensive action. Bralen Trice, who rotated with the first-team defense during training camp, didn’t play because of an undisclosed injury that’s not expected to be a long-term issue.

Ojulari tallied three tackles and a half-sack. Thomas made three stops. Ebukam added one tackle.

The Falcons’ most impressive outside linebacker Friday night? None of the above. It was Pearce, who’s eligible to play in the preseason and practice with the team until his suspension begins Aug. 30.

Pearce logged only two tackles, both on rushing plays, but he generated consistent pressure off the edge. He didn’t play the entire first quarter, and he largely faced the Broncos’ reserve offensive line, but his presence was undeniable.

The Falcons will miss it for the season’s first two months.

“It’s going to be tough,” defensive end Zach Harrison told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “James is a good player, but it’s one of those next-man-up mentality. We’re all good players in both the edge room and the D-line room, and do a collective effort and go out there and just make plays.

“James is a special player. So, we just got to do it as a group effort.”

Harrison, who had 4 ½ sacks in seven games last season before an injury prematurely ended his year, figures to be part of the equation along the defensive front.

There are wildcards, too.

Ebukam led the Indianapolis Colts with 9 ½ sacks in 2023, then ruptured his Achilles in 2024. He said during minicamp he feels as strong and explosive as he did before the injury, and the Falcons hope that, at 31 years old, he rediscovers his form this fall.

Thomas played in 22 games under Stefanski with the Browns the past two years. He’s lauded as a quality edge-setter in the run game. Of Ojulari’s five NFL seasons, three featured at least 5 ½ sacks. The other two totaled 2 ½. Keshawn Banks, a post-minicamp signing who played in the United Football League earlier this summer, has flashed during training camp and had a quarterback hit Friday night.

The Falcons’ interior defensive line has several pieces, too.

Brandon Dorlus led the team with 11 tackles for loss last season, and his 8 ½ sacks only trailed Pearce. Dorlus has cross-trained between defensive end and defensive tackle in practice since Walker’s injury, and the 6-foot-3, 295-pounder kicked outside for a few snaps Friday night.

LaCale London had a breakout campaign with five sacks. Maason Smith, a 2024 second-round pick acquired this spring via trade with the Jaguars, turned heads this summer. Chris Williams, another with experience under Stefanski, has created pressure in practice and flashed Friday.

Harrison said he’s “very confident” in the Falcons’ potential to succeed with their next-man-up approach.

“We got some dogs in both rooms,” Harrison said. “I’m excited, but we’ve got to go out there and put it on tape.”

And eventually, the Falcons will get Pearce back, too.

Per NFL rules, Pearce isn’t allowed to be in the Falcons’ facilities for the first four games of his suspension. He’ll be allowed back in the building from Week 5 onward and can do everything but practice — an important but — until his suspension ends.

Pearce is eligible to return for the Falcons’ Week 9 bout with the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid.

Stefanski said the Falcons trust the process, and he’s pleased with how Pearce has handled the last six months.

“James continues to do everything in his power to be a great teammate,” Stefanski said, “and work very hard on himself in the building and outside the building.”

Perhaps Pearce and the Falcons will reap the reward in November. In the meantime, their pass rush — led by the next men up — has plenty of fighting to do with the spirit of the curse still lingering in the background.

“That’s the message,” Timu said. “We got to fight, fight, fight it.”