Ex-Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce Jr. has been handed an 8-game suspension by the NFL.
The suspension is for a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. As a result, he will miss the first 8 games of Atlanta’s 2026 season.
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Pearce was a standout at Tennessee, racking up 19.5 sacks over a 3-year career. He peaked with a 10-sack season in 2023 and showed enough potential to be a 1st round pick by the Falcons in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Last year with the Falcons, Pearce recorded 10.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 10 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits. He was mostly a reserve for the Falcons as a rookie but started 3 games as well. He finished 3rd in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
The suspension will be a setback for a Falcons team that has middling defensive talent outside of Pearce. In 2025, Atlanta finished 14th in the NFL in EPA allowed per play. Atlanta also lost outside linebacker Jalon Walker for the upcoming season after he tore his ACL earlier this month.
The Falcons will kick off their season on Sept. 13 against the Steelers.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
