NFL hits Falcons pass rusher James Pearce Jr. with 8-game suspension
The league dropped the ban Friday afternoon, just hours before Atlanta's preseason opener. With Jalon Walker already lost for the year, the Falcons are suddenly starting the season without both of their prize young pass rushers.
In brief
The timing could not have been worse for Atlanta
The NFL suspended Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. for the first eight games of the 2026 regular season Friday afternoon, hours before the team's preseason opener against the Denver Broncos at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The ban is without pay and takes effect August 30, the same date rosters must be cut to 53 men. NFL.com confirmed that Pearce did not appeal his suspension and the eight-game ban is final.
The short version of what happened: Pearce, 22, was arrested in Doral, Florida in February after an alleged domestic violence dispute with WNBA player Rickea Jackson, his ex-girlfriend. He was charged with three felonies - aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and avoiding police, and resisting arrest. Pearce also had a fourth arrest charge of felony aggravated stalking reduced to a misdemeanor.
Pearce agreed to a six-month pretrial intervention program in April, with the potential for the charges to be dropped should he meet the conditions of the program. Those conditions include random drug tests, keeping distance from Jackson, and staying out of legal trouble for one year. He may avoid a criminal conviction. The NFL suspension, though, is done. No appeals. No wiggle room.
What this costs Atlanta on the field
The rookie edge rusher had a noteworthy first season as part of a record-setting pass rush in Atlanta and led the team with 10.5 sacks - the most by a rookie since Micah Parsons had 13 in 2021. Those aren't garbage-time numbers. He set a Falcons rookie record, adding 16 QB hits, 10 tackles for loss, five passes defensed, and a forced fumble in the process. Atlanta's defense was built around what Pearce and his fellow first-round pick from 2025 could become together.
That other first-round pick is Jalon Walker. He's already gone for the season. Atlanta won't have either player to begin the year. Walker, who recorded 36 tackles and 5.5 sacks as a rookie, tore his ACL in training camp and will miss the entire 2026 season. So both edge rushers the Falcons spent first-round capital on last April are out - Walker indefinitely, Pearce through the first half of the schedule.
The suspension clock runs through Week 8. Pearce will be eligible for reinstatement on Monday, November 2, which is the week the Falcons are slated to play the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, Spain. He would then be available for the second half of Atlanta's season, assuming he meets reinstatement requirements.
Who fills the void?
It's a real question. The Falcons added Azeez Ojulari, Samson Ebukam, and Cameron Thomas in free agency this offseason. Ojulari, 26, notched eight sacks as a rookie for the New York Giants back in 2021 and six sacks in 2024 but played just three games for the Philadelphia Eagles last season due to a hamstring injury. Ebukam, 31, comes over from the Indianapolis Colts, has recorded 35 sacks over eight seasons, and missed the 2024 campaign with a torn Achilles. Neither is a plug-and-play solution for a player who led the entire team in sacks as a 21-year-old.
The Falcons will also keep an eye on sixth-round pick linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., who could work as a hybrid. That's thin. Three veterans patching a hole that was supposed to be covered by a franchise cornerstone and a second first-rounder - that is the reality Atlanta's coaches walked into Friday night.
A rough preseason opener on top of it all
The suspension news broke hours before kickoff, and the game itself didn't help the mood. The Denver Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons 27-7 in Friday's preseason opener. It's the preseason, so the score barely registers on its own. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said starters would play, and Tua Tagovailoa started at quarterback. CBS Sports noted Tagovailoa struggled in his debut for Atlanta - a storyline worth tracking in its own right as the Falcons try to establish a new quarterback identity in 2026.
Thursday's slate had already opened the preseason with some actual football. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Green Bay Packers 28-9, the Los Angeles Chargers handled the Houston Texans 27-7, and the Arizona Cardinals topped the Las Vegas Raiders 27-14. Drew Allar threw three total touchdowns and Kaden Wetjen had a notable outing among the Steelers' rookies. None of that changes the story of the day, which belonged to Pearce and what his absence means for a Falcons defense that entered the offseason with real championship aspirations.
The broader picture
Pearce was one of four suspensions the NFL handed out Friday. The league also suspended Commanders edge rusher Dorance Armstrong, Tennessee Titans safety Nazeeh Johnson, and Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis. Armstrong was suspended one game for violating the personal conduct policy, Johnson six games for a PED violation, and Mathis three games for a substance abuse violation. All significant in their own ways. None of them carry the same weight as losing your most productive defensive player before Week 1.
The Falcons traded back into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Pearce with the 26th overall pick. Specifically, Atlanta traded the No. 46 pick in the 2025 draft and its 2026 first-rounder to the Los Angeles Rams to move up and grab Pearce, also receiving pick No. 101 in return. That is a significant price for a player who now won't suit up until November at the earliest. Atlanta paid with future assets to accelerate a defensive rebuild. Right now, the rebuild has stalled before a regular-season snap of 2026 has been played.
Pearce can participate in all remaining preseason games and team activities through August 29. He has mostly worked with the reserves in camp despite being the team's top pass rusher last season. Whether that's a coaching decision, a roster management call, or something else, the Falcons haven't said. Come August 30, he's gone either way - and Atlanta faces eight weeks of trying to generate a pass rush without the player it drafted, traded up for, and counted on to anchor the entire enterprise.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
