Atlanta Falcons Camp Day 3 Report: James Pearce Jr. Making Noise

The Atlanta Falcons were widely criticized in the spring for trading back into the first round of April's NFL Draft to select edge rusher James Pearce Jr.

Call it willful ignorance or intellectual dishonesty, but general manager Terry Fontenot's deal to get James Pearce at No. 26 has constantly been misrepresented by national media. The Falcons traded next year's first and their 2025 second-rounder for Pearce and the pick that turned into safety Xavier Watts - a projected starter.

Somehow, Watts is constantly left out of the discussion when lamenting how expensive the deal was for addressing a perennial need for the Falcons - pass rusher.

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What if the Falcons tank and it's a top 10 pick in 2026, they ask.

Though, the question they never seem to ask is: What if James Pearce Jr. turns into a Pro Bowl edge rusher? How many first-round picks would he be worth?

Because he looked like a budding superstar on the third day of Atlanta Falcons training camp.

Pearce was involved in a scuffle on back-to-back plays when he was lined up on the left side of the defense. The second play involving Falcons starting right tackle Kaleb McGary and his "ogre mentality."

Pearce went to the sidelines after the second scrum, and when he came back out, he was lined up on the right side of the defense going against swing tackle Storm Norton. On consecutive plays, Pearce stood his ground to seal the edge on a running play against Norton, and on the following play, he beat his man and elevated to knock down a Kirk Cousins pass.

Pearce showed first-round athleticism on the latter play and displayed a strength and will to do the dirty work on the former that he's not known for. There's still no tackling at camp, so there are no sacks. Several of Michael Penix Jr.'s crowd-pleasing completions downfield would have been sacks, or at the very least, hits from Pearce.

New defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich predicted last spring that Pearce was going to be a difference maker for his defense... and quickly.

"He doesn't need a whole lot of speed to get him going," Ulbrich said. "We can put him on the edge and let him rip it, and he's going to be a problem. I'm super excited (for) what he'll become."

It took him three days to become a problem for the Falcons offense.

The Other First Rounder

Jalon Walker was taken with the No. 15 overall pick to partner with Pearce. He didn't practice on Sunday but was seen standing on the sidelines.

"There’s just working on some stuff with his body, but he’s going to be alright," Ulbrich said after practice.

Defensive lineman Zach Harrison was also missing. Brandon Dorlus and Morgan Fox got the bulk of the repetitions in his absence. Cornerback Cobee Bryant and defensive tackle LaCale London were also spotted working conditioning and agility drills on the third field. They remain on the Non-Football Injury list and are ineligible to practice with the team.

It's Hard Not to Get Excited... Again

Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before (shout-out to The Smiths), but wide receiver, yes, I said wide receiver, Kyle Pitts looks fantastic through the first week of camp.

Pitts is taking individual drills with the wide receivers, and he's lining up almost exclusively in the slot or out wide.

He's been golfing buddies with his quarterback all summer, and maybe offensive coordinator Zac Robinson tagged along, because the Falcons are finding ways to get the ball into Pitts's hands. Slants, posts, seams, even screens, and what's different this year is how he moves.

Pitts has always been a long strider, but he's never been considered shifty, or twitchy in today's vernacular. He took a screen pass and changed directions three or four times, showing a burst that we haven't seen from him before.

With Darnell Mooney sidelined with a shoulder injury, there were targets to be had for the other receivers, and Pitts and Ray-Ray McCloud stood up and stood out on Sunday. McCloud caught a go route up the left sideline to open 11v11s and an out route on the right side later on.

Hunting vs. Check Downs

Penix hunts. His eyes are on the back of the defense, and he has the power in his left arm to push the ball downfield. He wants big plays and chunk yards. And in a practice environment in July, why not? He is constantly looking for (and often finding) the deep routes, much to the excitement of the fans in attendance.

Cousins checks down. Granted, Cousins isn't throwing to Drake London, Pitts, or McCloud, but most of his throws are check-downs, and he appears to be going through the motions.

Penix can learn later during camp that discretion can be the better part of valor, but for now, he's hunting.

Koo vs. Krieg - The Kicker Battle

Kicker is one of the hardest positions on the field to evaluate, because so much of what makes a great kicker is his performance under pressure. Anyone can make a three-foot putt, but can everyone do it at The Masters?

If the kicking battle was held today and today only, Younghoe Koo would be out of a job.

The veteran Falcons' kicker hit a 55-yarder into the wind, but followed it with a shank that went far right from the right hashmark.

Lenny Krieg, whom the Falcons signed as part of the NFL's International Pathway program, stepped up after Koo and not only hit all of his kicks, he hit his 50 and 55-yard attempts in a way that looked like they would have been good from 80.

Baseball scouts talk about the ball sounding different coming off a player's bat. That's how it looked on Saturday. You didn't have to see who was kicking to know who was kicking.

The Falcons could save $2 million this year and $3.5 million next year if they turn to Krieg instead of Koo, and it's a distinct possibility.

The Falcons are back in action at Flowery Branch on Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. where they hope to get Walker and Harrison back on defense and continue to see Pitts and Pearce causing problems.