James Pearce Jr.'s 'Race to the Quarterback' Fuels Competition with Jalon Walker

Atlanta Falcons rookie James Pearce Jr. has been making noise all throughout training camp. After being a menace against his own teammates for much of training camp, Pearce has relished the opportunity to go against the Tennessee Titans this week in joint practices.

“Oh, smooth. You know what I’m saying?” Pearce said after the conclusion of the second joint practice on Wednesday. “I was out there trying to get better, for the most part. It was good. Work some moves off the edge. The little stuff.”

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After going against Falcons' offensive tackles during OTAs, mini-camp, and training camp, Pearce got his first taste of action against another team on Friday night against the Detroit Lions. This week, he got a second chance and was pleased to show off more tools.

“Oh, yeah, I really have to say everything about speed. I feel like you get off the ball well,” Pearce said.

“Reading the sets better, playing with my hands better, for the most part,” Pearce said about improving.

The Falcons selected Pearce at No. 26 overall after swapping their 2026 first-round pick and their 2025 second-round pick for Pearce and a third-round pick that turned into safety Xavier Watts.

Prior to selecting Pearce, the Falcons addressed their chronically poor pass rush by selecting linebacker Jalon Walker as well. Pearce sees Walker as an important piece of the Falcons' defensive puzzle as well as friendly competition.

“Looking at the other side, just seeing him [Walker] over there, I mean, that give me a little boost,” Pearce said. “Just get off the ball hotter, racing to the quarterback for the most part.” Pearce continued. “We for sure trying to get to the quarterback, so whoever get there first, we going to cheer each other on.”

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich understands the steep learning curve his rookie edge rushers face this summer and is willing to watch them learn on the fly.

"The ability to sustain, if that makes sense,” Ulbrich said on Tuesday about being more well-rounded, consistent players. “They're going to develop as rushers. They're going to develop as edge setters. We're going to develop the mindset. The style of play is going to come through. I know that. It's the reason we picked the two of them, because they already stand for all that stuff that we believe in and that we want in this building.

“The duration of the season, the demands of a work week here, the training camp. It's so much more than what college was for them. They're immersed so deeply in just football. The detail goes to another space. The physicality goes to another space. The speed of it all increases. That can get overwhelming for rookies. So, that ability just to show up every day, create a process, and stick to it is something we're going to have to teach them as they go.”

Pearce seems to have the early lead in training camp as a more refined edge rusher, but the opportunity for both Pearce and Walker is there for them to make significant impacts as rookies as they race to the quarterback.