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The Atlanta Falcons' pass rush had become a punchline over the past few years, and last season only made it worse.
In 2024, the Falcons ranked near the bottom of nearly every pass rushing statistic. It was an issue that clearly wore on new head coach Raheem Morris.
“I get beat up all year about not getting sacks, and that’s got to change,” Morris told reporters after the 2025 NFL Draft. “The only way you can change that is to change that. That was part of our process, very intentional, going out and trying to fix the edge room.”
But even bold solutions have their critics.
After being hammered for not addressing the pass rush in years past, the Falcons are now under fire for how aggressively they tried to fix it this time around. Bleacher Report’s Gabe Davenport listed Atlanta’s decision to select Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. as one of the “6 Worst Decisions of the 2025 NFL Offseason,” ranking it at No. 2.
"Before we go any farther here, an important note—this doesn’t have anything to do with edge-rusher James Pearce Jr. as a player. The 6’5”, 245-pounder is wildly athletic and has a high potential ceiling in the NFL,” Davenport wrote.
"The problem is the price Atlanta paid to draft a player who was reportedly off multiple teams’ draft boards entirely.
Pearce was said to have "maturity concerns" heading into the draft, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
The Falcons gave up their 2026 first-round pick to trade back into Round 1 and draft Pearce—after already using their own first-rounder on Georgia EDGE Jalon Walker.
Pearce signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $16.78 million rookie contract.
Asked about expectations in Year 1, Pearce kept his answer simple.
“Just be effective,” Pearce said. “I’m not going to put numbers on it or stuff like that. Everybody knows the sky's the limit, so I’ve just got to work. Whatever I get out of it, that's the work I put into it."
The Falcons are hoping that work—alongside Walker—finally brings their pass rushing woes to an end.
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