James Pearce Jr. Injury News & Updates

Pearce (groin) has no injury designation heading into Sunday's matchup against the Panthers.

Pearce was unable to practice Wednesday due to a groin injury, but he upgraded to full participation Friday, suggesting he's moved past the issue in time to play in Week 3. The 2025 first-round pick from Tennessee logged two total tackles, including 0.5 sacks, across just 17 defensive snaps in the Falcons' Week 2 win over the Vikings. He's expected to play as one of Atlanta's top rotational edge rushers in Sunday's divisional matchup.

Pearce (groin) returned to a limited practice Thursday.

Pearce dealt with the groin issue last week during practice but was able to play Week 2 against the Vikings. After logging a DNP on Wednesday, Pearce's return to practice Thursday would suggest he has a good chance to play Friday against Carolina.

Pearce (groin) did not practice Wednesday.

Pearce dealt with the groin issue ahead of last Sunday's win over the Vikings but played in that contest and logged two tackles, including 0.5 sacks, on 36 percent of the defensive snaps. Leonard Floyd, Jalon Walker and Arnold Ebiketie would handle edge-rushing duties in Week 3 against the Panthers if Pearce is unable to play.

Pearce registered two tackles, including 0.5 sacks, during Sunday's 22-6 win over the Vikings.

Atlanta's first-round rookies, Pearce and Jalon Walker, each recorded their first career sacks as their defense dominated J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings during Sunday Night Football. Fellow rookies Billy Bowman and Xavier Watts also recorded their first career picks. Pearce and Walker continue to rotate with Arnold Ebiketie and Leonard Floyd.

Pearce (groin) is active for Sunday night's contest against the Vikings, Tori McElhany of the Falcons' official website reports.

Pearce will be ready to go for Sunday Night Football after he popped up on the injury report with a groin injury Wednesday, ultimately logging three limited practices. The linebacker failed to record any stats while playing 22 defensive snaps in the team's Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers, so he'll look to make more of an impact versus Minnesota in Week 2.

Pearce (groin) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Vikings, Will McFadden of the team's official site reports.

Following a week of limited practice sessions due to a groin injury, Pearce has a chance to suit up in Week 2. The 2025 first-round pick from Tennessee played 22 defensive snaps in Atlanta's Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers but failed to record a stat. If Pearce is unable to play Sunday, fellow 2025 first-round pick Jalon Walker figures to see increased defensive snaps as Atlanta's top rotational edge rusher.

Pearce was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a groin injury, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Pearce logged 39 percent of Atlanta's defensive snaps Week 1 against the Buccaneers but appears to have come away with a groin issue. The fact that he was able to practice in a limited fashion suggests that the rookie may not be dealing with a serious issue, but if he's not able to play Sunday versus Minnesota, Arnold Ebiketie, Jalon Walker and/or Leonard Floyd could see more work.

The Falcons selected Pearce in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 26th overall.

Atlanta made an aggressive play to move back up into the first round and double-tap edge rushers by adding Pearce after selecting Jalon Walker at 15. Pass rush has long been an issue in Atlanta and the front office is prioritizing changing that in this draft. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Falcons sent their second-round pick and next year's first-round pick to the Rams to get this deal done. As for Pearce, the Tennessee product was considered the potential No.1 overall pick in this year's class coming into the season. It didn't quite work out that way as Pearce's sack production dropped from 10.0 in 2023 to 7.5 in 2024. He tested well at the combine with 4.47 speed at 6-foot-5, but he is light for a conventional 3-4 outside linebacker. Jalon Walker has similar strengths and weaknesses, so Atlanta is certainly targeting a particular archetype with these two selections.