The 3 ways the Atlanta Falcons can pivot after James Pearce Jr. suspension

The 2025 NFL Draft is continuing to age poorly for the Atlanta Falcons. They gave up a first-round pick to move back into the first round to draft James Pearce Jr. with the No. 26 pick. Before that, they drafted Jalon Walker with the No. 15 pick. Both EDGE rushers will miss significant time in the 2026 season. Walker tore his ACL and was placed on season-ending IR, while Pearce will face an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. This stems from a domestic dispute with his then girlfriend and Los Angeles Sparks player, Rickea Jackson. 

Atlanta thought their biggest problems for the 2026 season were going to be around the quarterback drama. Now their defense has taken consecutive massive hits in a matter of weeks. They have to pivot almost urgently. They’ll be down two starting pass rushers and will need immediate reinforcements, if nothing more, at least until Pearce gets back. 

The good thing is they did sign Samson Ebukam and Azeez Ojulari this past offseason. It’s just not necessarily the best duo, considering they drafted both Walker and Pearce – and started them – last season. Atlanta won’t need a massive move, but they’ll need to quickly find some help. Here’s how the Falcons can quickly recoup some ground. 

Trade for Kayvon Thibodeaux

This is a short-term solution. For one, the Falcons get a player in Kayvon Thibodeaux who’s in a contract season and has every reason to step up and play at a high level. If last season is any indication, neither Ebukam nor Ojulari is going to provide the production the Falcons need in the pass rush. Ojulari had two sacks in 14 games with the Eagles last year and Ebukam played in just three games last season in Indianapolis. Thibodeaux had 2.5 sacks in 2025. That’s not really that much better, but since being drafted in 2022, he has 23.5 sacks. Neither Ojulari nor Ebukam has that in the same time frame. 

This move makes sense because the New York Giants have teased the idea of trading Thibodeaux. He won’t cost more than maybe a fourth-round pick, and he’s young enough that if he has a good season, maybe he gets another shot in Atlanta. With Walker missing the whole year to injury, it’s not a bad idea to get a closer look at a pending free agent. 

Turn to Haason Reddick, Joey Bosa or Leonard Floyd as free agents

The free agent options aren’t that great. Neither Haason Reddick, Joey Bosa nor Leonard Floyd, the best options out there, are going to be the big impact player Atlanta would like to have. That said, Floyd is their best option, simply because he played their last season and bringing in a familiar face makes sense. Bosa isn’t bad, but he’s had some durability problems throughout his NFL career, so turning to him comes with its risks as well. They probably could hold off on making a free agent move simply because they have depth options that will probably provide the same production. 

Their depth isn’t completely depleted, and with Pearce returning for the second half of the season, they just need a player that can hold them over until he gets back. Pearce had a breakout rookie season, finishing with 10.5 sacks, which was top 15 in the NFL in 2025. They’re going to miss that production, but again, they don’t need to make a big swing for players like Josh Sweat or Maxx Crosby because their top guy will be back this year and they aren’t necessarily contenders either. 

Give UFL standout Keshawn Banks the chance of a lifetime

Keshawn Banks has been around the NFL but hasn’t made an official roster yet in his career. He went undrafted in the 2023 draft. Despite hopping around from New England to Green Bay, he never recorded an official snap. This past spring, he played in the United Football League and was top 10 in the league in sacks with five and had a forced fumble. He also had 11 tackles for loss. Could Banks be the first player to go become an NFL star after playing in the UFL?

It’s a really long shot, seeing as he hasn’t made an NFL roster in two years. But what do the Falcons lose in giving him a real shot? What he does Friday night as well as over the course of the next two preseason games won’t just be to prove he deserves to be on the 53-man roster. He could also prove he’s good enough to produce in the pass rush at a time when the Falcons desperately need depth.