Falcons defensive end James Pearce Jr. sat out practice Wednesday, rehabbing a back tightness issue that flared up late last week. This is a huge hit for Atlanta, especially since Pearce had only just made his season debut on Sunday after serving an eight-game suspension. He played just 15 snaps in the loss to the Bengals and didn’t even register a single stat. You get a guy back after that long, and he’s already back on the sidelines? Brutal.
Injury Bug Biting Hard
It’s not just Pearce the Falcons are dealing with right now. The team also practiced without wide receiver Zachariah Branch, who’s nursing a hamstring. Linebacker Josh Woods was out with an ankle injury, and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. missed practice due to illness. That’s a lot of key guys missing, and it definitely impacts their preparation. Even linebacker Divine Deablo, who managed to play against Cincinnati with his arm wrapped up, was limited in practice.
What This Means for Atlanta
When you’re trying to integrate a player like Pearce back into the lineup after a long suspension, you need him on the field. Missing practice, especially after such a short return, means he’s going to struggle to get up to speed. For the Falcons, a team already dealing with multiple injuries across the defense and at wide receiver, getting healthy and staying healthy is going to be the biggest challenge. They need these guys on the field, not just watching from the sidelines.
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Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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