MADRID (AP) — Atlanta Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski wants to see how edge rusher James Pearce Jr. responds in practice before determining the number of snaps he will have this weekend in Madrid after returning from an eight-game suspension.
Pearce was suspended at the start of the season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy after being arrested in February following a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson.
He participated in Wednesday's walkthrough after the team arrived in Madrid for Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“We’ll have a full-speed practice Thursday or Friday of this week and see where James is,” Stefanski said. “He’s been with us for a month, not practicing, but he’s been in the weight room training. So we have a pretty good sense of what his shape is, if you will, his football shape that is. So we’ll have the plan going in this ballgame, but I don’t have an exact number of snaps just yet.”
The second-year defensive end was reinstated on Monday, a day after the team's 16-0 loss in heavy rain at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Safety Xavier Watts said the squad was excited to have Pearce back.
“We know the type of player he is,” Watts said. “You know, last year he had a great year, and just excited for him to get back out there and, you know, kind of get his season rolling. You know he’ll have fresh legs, so hopefully he’s out there, you know, getting the edge, getting the sacks the way he does, so I think it’ll help the team for sure.”
The Falcons' defense will face a Bengals team that has won three straight games with an offense that has been red-hot, with quarterback Joe Burrow throwing five touchdown passes and running for a score in overtime in a 43-36 win over the Tennessee Titans at home last week.
The Falcons couldn’t stop Tampa Bay’s run game on Sunday as the Buccaneers became the first team to have zero completions in a game since Buffalo on Sept. 29, 1974.
Falcons linebacker Divine Deablo and running back Brian Robinson were listed as limited participants Wednesday, while defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. returned to full participation.
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