Former Tennessee Vols and current Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. has had a notable offseason with the Atlanta Falcons, and unfortunately, it’s been for all the wrong reasons.

Pearce faces a potential lengthy NFL suspension stemming from felony charges earlier this year, and the timing couldn’t be worse for Atlanta.

Pearce was arrested back in February on three felony counts stemming from an incident involving his former girlfriend in which he allegedly struck her vehicle with his vehicle. He allegedly later struck a law enforcement officer as he attempted to flee and was ultimately arrested.

Those charges were addressed in April when Pearce agreed to a pretrial intervention program, which could result in their dismissal if he complies with the terms of the program. However, the NFL still has within its discretion the ability to issue discipline, and in all likelihood, that will happen.

The question is how long a suspension would be, and the answer could be significant. According to The Athletic’s Falcons beat writer Josh Kendall, Pearce is facing no less than an eight-game suspension, potentially longer, from the league.

The Athletic’s Josh Kendall foresees a suspension by the NFL of at least 8 games for Falcons EDGE James Pearce, Jr.

“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.”

That’s a substantial absence for any player, but it takes on even greater importance given recent developments in Atlanta. Falcons star edge rusher Jalen Walker suffered a season-ending ACL tear last week, making Pearce’s availability all the more critical for the defense. Losing both players for an extended stretch would leave the Falcons’ pass rush in a difficult spot heading into the 2026 season.

The allegations and charges are serious, and even with Pearce potentially resolving the legal side through the pretrial program, the league could still come down hard on the former Vol. The NFL’s personal conduct policy gives the commissioner broad authority to discipline players even if criminal proceedings are resolved, and Pearce’s situation certainly fits the profile of one the league would want to address firmly.

The bigger question at this point is whether Pearce can stay on the right side of the law moving forward and make this a blip on the radar for what Falcons fans hope will be a long and otherwise successful career. We’ll see how the league ultimately handles this, but if Kendall’s reporting holds, Atlanta should be preparing to play at least half the season without its former first-round pick.