There are plenty of reasons the Atlanta Falcons can be excited about their offense. And they may even have depth at quarterback if a trade doesn’t occur. But it is the defensive side of the ball where two Falcons veterans will see their roles pushed by rookies in the 2025 season.
First and foremost, edge rusher James Pearce Jr. will put current starter Leonard Floyd on notice. Floyd is a nine-year veteran and he’s 32 years old. He’s coming off an 8.5-sack season with the 49ers in 2024. And the Falcons make his fourth team in the last four seasons.
But Pearce is charging hard and trying to make noise to steal the starting assignment.
Falcons LB James Pearce Jr. hungry to play
Falcons’ head coach Raheem Morris said he sees similarities in Pearce and A.J. Terrell. The latter is the team’s longest-tenured defensive player, according to Sports Illustrated. It’s a personality thing, Morris said.
“That was definitely something I suggested because they remind me — they’re a different position, obviously, different body type, all that type of stuff — but the personalities, demeanors,” Morris said. “I remember A.J. came in and was just a really serious rookie when I had him, and James is a really serious rookie.
“You’re going to be hard-pressed to get a smile out of him until he knows you. I kind of thought they had similar traits and similar things that I felt like, ‘Hey, that would be a nice guy for you to kind of talk to.’ ”
Terrell said he already sees good things from Pearce.
“Coming in as a rookie, you’re trying to fit in with the locker room. But I feel like Day 1 with James, it was always love out the gate,” Terrell said. “You know the type of — I don’t want to say pressure — but the mindset of a rookie, coming in, you’re just trying to come in and set your foundation and things like that.
“Being drafted so high, you feel like everybody expects you to do certain things, but you can still be yourself. Like, it’s an open locker room where you can — ain’t nothing for us. Just continue to be you, and you will strive.”
James Pearce drawing plenty of attention
Chris Trapasson chose him as the top pick for NFL defensive rookie of the year honors, according to cbssports.com.
“With Pearce as my No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 class, I’m not backing away from that before any games are played,” Trapasso said, “Pearce is a sizable, athletic, refined and deceptively powerful outside rusher. (He) demolished the SEC the past two seasons with a cumulative pressure rate over 21%. I’ve written that statistic like 50 times the past four months. And I’m still astonished by it.”
Trapasson said Pearce is in a good situation to thrive with the Falcons.
“Atlanta has finished 32nd in sacks twice (2015, 2021) and 31st a ridiculous five times (2013, 2014, 2019, 2022, and 2024) over the past decade,” Trapasso wrote. “Any uptick in team pass-rushing production will be viewed as a ginormous win for the Falcons. And I believe Pearce will be at the center of that en route to winning this mostly outside pass rusher-dominated award.”
Safety Xavier Watts pushing Jordan Fuller
The interesting thing here is that Fuller doesn’t have a history with the Falcons. He played for the Rams in 2023 and the Panthers in 2024. Plus, the Panthers played downright poor defense last season. Still, Watts stands behind Fuller on the depth chart right now.
Watts said he’s not worrying about expectations, according to nytimes.com.
“I am not really expecting anything,” he said. “I’m just trusting my teammates and coaches, and we’ll see what happens.”
And Watts isn’t the only rookie pushing Fuller. Billy Bowman came to the Falcons just one round after Watts.
“We’re similar in size,” Watts said. “He gets the ball. He’s a playmaker. He can tackle well. So, I feel like we’re very similar in all aspects of the game of football.”
Morris said he likes having a competitive safety room.
“It’s going to be a very competitive safety room,” coach Raheem Morris said. “Having Watts come here and compete with those guys, get a chance to get on the field and really be productive for us is something that we look forward to doing this spring.”
Falcons defensive pass game coordinator Mike Rutenberg said Bowman looks the part.
“He’s a guy who has shown elite coverage skills,” said Rutenberg. “He can match on a slot. He has really good short-area quickness. It takes some DNA, too, and he’s built from the right stuff.”
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