The Cincinnati Bengals are embracing their trip to Madrid by all accounts, with face of the franchise Joe Burrow eager to grow not only the sport, but the value of his team by making them more global. Burrow boasts the sort of intangibles you dream about from star players. Unfortunately for the Atlanta Falcons, the same can't be said for James Pearce Jr.
Frequent rogue operator and now former Falcons GM Terry Fontenot got bold by trading back into the first round in the 2025 draft to select Pearce with the 26th overall pick. This came just after drafting Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker, who converted to an edge defender full-time.
What should've been an electrifying duo bookending Atlanta's pass rush has gone up in absolute flames in Year 2. Walker tore his ACL in training camp; he's out for the season. As of Friday, Pearce is suspended for the first eight games of the 2026 campaign.
Not gonna lie. Obviously, the legal situation involving Pearce merits the eight-game ban and shouldn't be trivialized, but without foreknowledge of the extent of Pearce's off-field issues, I was all-in on him as the Bengals' target with the 17th overall pick last year. That clearly would've been a massive mistake.
Now, since the Falcons don't have a bye prior to Madrid, Pearce is set to return in Week 9 for a head-to-head showcase with the Bengals' actual 2025 first-round selection, defensive end Shemar Stewart.
Bengals (wisely) rolled the dice on a different first-round EDGE prospect in 2025
Stewart decidedly did not light the NFL world on fire as a rookie. He had 4.5 sacks in three seasons at Texas A&M and posted only one in his maiden pro season.
Meanwhile, Pearce was an instant difference-maker off the edge for Atlanta with 10.5 sacks. It was enough to make this Bengals fan livid. I even went out of my way to cover Pearce's outstanding rookie year a bit. Here's an excerpt; go ahead and roast me:
"I just feel like I sit back every year, watching stupid-obvious players the Bengals should've drafted shine elsewhere, and think to myself, 'What in the world are we DOING!?' This happens in real time during the draft. It happens during the ensuing regular season. I'm so tired of it. The Bengals have to get it right or else, no, Joe Burrow ain't gonna wanna stick around."
*Paging Freezing Cold Takes.*
My main thought was something like, "How does this organization not invest more in its scouting department?" Because it'd take a complete and utter moron to not grasp the fact that Pearce was a far and away superior pass rusher to Stewart, and a better all-around prospect.
With Stewart, all the appeal was in his supposed upside. Yes, he's a historically great athlete. Total freak show. No, he hasn't put it all together on the field yet. Not even close.
To make an NBA analogy, Stewart was like a Bruno "Two Years Away From Being Two Years Away" Caboclo lottery ticket who the Bengals were hoping would somehow valmorphanize into Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Yeahnotsomuch. Stewart was dreadful as a rookie, and he's injured in training camp now to even further stunt his development.
But you know what? The Bengals must have done their due diligence on Pearce and decided he wasn't worth the risk. This is the disadvantage of not being an NFL team employee and having access to privileged pre-draft information. Those of us trying to peek behind the veil can only get so far in such endeavors. We don't know how those private interviews with players go, unless, you know, they're captured on video via Hard Knocks or something.
Point being, Cincinnati had gotten burned badly by 2024 third-round wideout Jermaine Burton and weren't about to take a risk on someone like Pearce, who in retrospect, had very clear red flags.
The 2025 draft predated when I got the captain's chair at this job. I'm a sicko for the NFL Draft, yet I missed the finer details of any rumors about Pearce's character concerns. I even missed the negative buzz on Mike Green's off-field conduct, who the AFC North rival Ravens eventually drafted in Round 2.
Whether Stewart is a bust or not, he at least seems to have good character. That should count for something. As a fan, I can accept taking a high-risk, high-reward player who actually wants to work hard and is a good human being, and it just doesn't work out for whatever reason.
If I were a Falcons fan, I'd feel a little troubled trying to root for Pearce upon his return. He has to complete an intervention program to get the rest of his charges dropped, which initially included five felonies, with aggravated battery and stalking among them.
Sounds pretty serious, especially since it stemmed from an alleged domestic dispute.
By the time Pearce is back in action, I really hope Shemar has flashed some of that tantalizing talent of his. Because I've gone from full-on hating Duke Tobin and Co. for going Stewart-over-Pearce, to actively, bullishly cheering on the guy we do have on our roster to run circles around Pearce in the years to come.
In a twisted sort of way, the Pearce subplot adds another layer to what should already be a compelling Bengals-Falcons matchup in Madrid.
Here's hoping Cincinnati right tackle Amarius Mims absolutely pancakes the rusty edge rusher through to the Earth's core at Bernabéu Stadium.
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