Falcons Clips
The Falcons are keeping an explosive player in the Peach State.
With the No. 79 overall pick in the third round, Atlanta has selected receiver Zachariah Branch out of Georgia.
Branch spent his first two collegiate seasons at USC before transferring to Georgia in 2025. He excelled as a returner as a freshman in 2023, taking a punt 75 yards for a touchdown and a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.
In 2025, he was a second-team All-SEC honoree after leading the conference in receptions. He finished the year with 81 catches for 811 yards with six TDs.
He will now join a group of offensive players that includes Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts.
Avieon Terrell followed his older brother, A.J. Terrell, in every step of the way. They both played at Westlake High School in Atlanta and then at Clemson. Now, they will play together with the Falcons.
Atlanta used the 48th overall to select Avieon Terrell, who will join his brother in the team’s secondary.
A.J. Terrell has played six seasons with the Falcons.
The brothers hugged and cried at a draft party, sharing an incredible moment.
Avieon started 31 consecutive games to finish his career, and he led the Tigers in passes defended as both a sophomore and junior. He had 28 pass breakups and three interceptions in three seasons.
The first set of photos from the New York Post showing Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini at an adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona was taken while Russini worked for The Athletic. The Athletic is now reviewing her reporting, after her resignation.
The latest set of photos from the New York Post was taken while she worked for ESPN. The question now becomes whether ESPN will be reviewing her reporting.
ESPN has declined comment in response to an email inquiry from PFT.
Here’s an example of reporting that could be scrutinized, regarding a situation that developed after March 2020, when the photos published earlier today were taken.
In May 2021, Russini reported that the Falcons “have discussed several offers for wide receiver Julio Jones, including an offer of a future first-round draft pick.” The report, under a headline that proclaimed “Atlanta Falcons have offer of a 1st-round pick for Julio Jones, sources say” created a clear impression that the Falcons had an offer in hand of a first-round pick for Jones.
Her report also downplayed the Titans’ chances of landing Jones, calling them a “long shot.” (At the time, Vrabel served as head coach of the Titans.)
Ultimately, the Titans acquired Jones and a 2023 sixth-round pick for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick.
So how did the reporting potentially help the Titans? Putting out the word that the Falcons had been offered a first-round pick could have had a chilling effect on any team that may have been considering offering a second-round pick. Calling the Titans a “long shot” allowed them to maneuver quietly for Jones.
Given the relationship between Vrabel and Russini, it’s not crazy or reckless to wonder whether her reporting was directly or indirectly connected to the effort to help the Titans get Jones on the best possible terms. Which, of course, will bolster suspicions by Eagles fans that she had been working more recently with Vrabel to get Eagles receiver A.J. Brown on the best possible terms.
The point for now is that the newest photos directly relate to her time at ESPN. And that specific entanglement could explain why it took so long for ESPN to pay full attention to the story. In the end, its own credibility could be undermined by the reporting Russini did while working there.
Falcons edge rusher James Pearce has agreed to enter an intervention program that will allow him to avoid a trial on multiple felony charges related to a February incident with his ex-girlfriend.
Pearce attended a hearing in a Miami-Dade County courtroom on video to agree to participate in the six-month program. A report on Thursday morning indicated that Pearce’s legal team was negotiating the deal with prosecutors. His attorney Yale Sanford told ESPN that Pearce will participate in therapy sessions during the six-month period and that he is required to stay away from his ex-girlfriend in order to have the charges dropped.
Pearce was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police, and resisting an officer with violence as well as a misdemeanor count of stalking.
The NFL said that the case remains under review for possible discipline under the Personal Conduct Policy.
Defensive end James Pearce Jr., a first-round pick the Falcons acquired last year by trading the team’s first-round pick this year to the Rams, faces multiple felony charges resulting from an incident with his ex-girlfriend in February. Pearce could be in the process of resolving the situation.
Andy Slater of Fox Sports South Florida reports that Pearce’s lawyers are negotiating a deal that would result in the dismissal of all charges in exchange for participation in a program that includes therapy sessions and a six-month probation period.
Pearce had been formally charged with three felonies (aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police, and resisting an officer with violence) and one misdemeanor (stalking). His lawyers have professed his innocence.
Pearce allegedly rammed the vehicle driven by WNBA player Rickea Jackson. He then allegedly resisted arrest, striking an officer as he drove away from the scene.
Jackson reportedly has agreed to the approach. The police officers who eventually apprehended Pearce also have reportedly agreed.
Resolution of the criminal charges would lead to the finalization of the NFL’s handling of the situation under the Personal Conduct Policy. The baseline punishment for domestic violence is a six-game suspension without pay. Aggravating circumstances could lengthen the suspension.
Pearce, who finished third in defensive rookie of the year voting last season, had 10.5 sacks in 2025.
The Rams reached the NFC Championship Game last season, head into this season as the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl, and should draft another good player tonight, when they own the 13th pick in the first round, thanks to a forward-thinking trade with the Falcons last year.
A year ago, the Rams traded their own first- and third-round picks to the Falcons for Atlanta’s second- and seventh-round picks, plus their 2026 first-round pick. The Falcons badly wanted pass rusher James Pearce, and they were willing to give up their 2026 first-round pick to go up and get him.
Rams General Manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have earned the job security that makes it easy for them to think ahead when making trades. They didn’t need the instant gratification of adding a player in the first round in 2025, when they anticipated that with the Falcons’ first-round pick they’d have a chance to add an even better player in 2026.
While the Rams played the long game, Falcons GM Terry Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris knew they were on the hot seat. Knowing their 2025 job status was “win now or get fired,” they didn’t have time to worry about their 2026 first-round pick. Sure enough, Fontenot and Morris were both fired at the end of last season. The new regime in Atlanta has to rebuild without a first-round pick, while Pearce is not currently with the team as he faces legal charges stemming from alleged abuse of his ex-girlfriend.
The Rams are in much better shape. They traded away their own first-round pick for cornerback Trent McDuffie, but the Falcons’ first-round pick means they still have the ammunition to bolster their roster tonight. Maybe they’ll add a good player with the 13th pick, or maybe Snead will trade it for more picks or another player, but either way, the Super Bowl favorites should get better tonight.
The long-term thinking the Rams showed during last year’s draft is one of the reasons they’ve been able to consistently stay near the top of a league that is structured to promote parity.
When news dropped that offensive tackle Kaleb McGary was retiring, a few hours later, it was reported that the Falcons were signing Jawaan Taylor as a potential replacement.
In Atlanta’s pre-draft press conference on Monday, General Manager Ian Cunningham confirmed the club wasn’t surprised by McGary hanging up his cleats.
“We knew that that was a possibility,” Cunningham said, via transcript from the team. “I think that’s for us to kind of make sure that we protect the organization and the team. So once we kind of figure that part out, that’s on us to kind of try to figure out what are some options, whether it’s trade, whether it’s free agency.
“And while Kaleb was obviously a really good player for the franchise and we were fortunate to be able to get a player in Jawaan Taylor, who’s started a lot of games at right tackle and played on some really good teams at right tackle. So we’re excited about him and what he can bring to our offense in the run and pass game. Fortunately enough, he was still available when that happened. So we made sure to cross our tees and dot our eyes and be prepared and glad to go ahead, work out.”
Cunningham added that with Taylor, the club likes that he’s big, strong, physical, and consistent.
“I think he’s going to help us in the pass game, obviously help us in the run game as well,” Cunningham said. “So, we’re excited.”
Head coach Kevin Stefanski also said they see Taylor as a “really good cultural fit.”
“[E]njoyed my time spent when he came in and just getting to know him a little bit, but will fit in great with that room,” Stefanski said. “And like Ian mentioned, he’s played on some good football teams. He’s had some great experience at that position, which it’s rare that you can have a guy that’s available that we can put in there and can lean on all that experience.”
The World Cup is coming soon. And it’s quickly becoming a pain in the posterior for the 13 teams playing in stadiums that will be commandeered for intercontinental soccer.
Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal recently reviewed some of the practical impacts of FIFA bigfooting the various venues where fútbol will be played. This week, for example, the Jets and Giants will move their annual draft parties away from MetLife Stadium to Manhattan.
In all, 13 teams are impacted by the World Cup: the Cowboys, Jets, Giants, Falcons, Chiefs, Texans, 49ers, Chargers, Rams, Eagles, Seahawks, Patriots, and Dolphins.
For the teams that have employees at the stadiums hosting World Cup games, many will be moved. Those who are staying put will be subject to FIFA credentialing to get into their workplaces. And the Giants will start training camp in West Virginia, since MetLife Stadium will be hosting the final match on July 19 on a grass field that will need to be removed and replaced with one of the worst artificial surfaces in the entire league.
That last part still has to be the most galling for NFL players. Owners with stadiums that don’t have grass have bent over backwards to do whatever had to be done to placate FIFA. Their regular employees, however, will still be stuck with a lesser (and far cheaper) playing surface.
The various sacrifices involuntarily made by the players and other team employees should prompt FIFA to give them all a phony, made-up award. Especially since FIFA has already done that, for far less.
The Falcons and Jaguars have agreed to a swap of defensive linemen.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Atlanta has agreed to send defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro to Jacksonville in exchange for defensive tackle Maason Smith. Both players were second-round picks in 2024 with Orhorhoro going to the Falcons at No. 35 and Smith going to the Jags at No. 48.
Orhorhoro played in eight games as a rookie and all 17 games last season. He made eight starts and finished the season with 25 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
Smith played 24 games and started seven times over his first two seasons. He had 32 tackles and three sacks in those appearances.
The NFL has announced the names of the current and former players that will take part in next week’s draft by announcing second-round picks.
The list includes players associated with all 32 teams, including Cardinals running back James Conner. Conner has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area after playing for the Steelers and attending Pitt, which likely made him an easy choice as the Cardinals’ representative.
Former Bears tackle Jimbo Covert, former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett, former Chiefs defensive lineman Bill Maas, current Vikings tackle Brian O’Neill, former Jets running back Curtis Martin, and former 49ers punter Andy Lee are other Pitt alums who are set to take part.
The hometown team will be represented by four players. Former Steelers Jerome Bettis and John Stallworth will be joined by Joey Porter Sr. and Jr. next Friday.
The other players taking part and their team affiliations appear below:
Falcons: Michael Turner
Ravens: Mark Ingram
Bills: Shane Conlan
Panthers: Jake Delhomme
Bengals: Ken Anderson
Browns: Phil Dawson
Cowboys: Drew Pearson
Broncos: T.J. Ward
Lions: Calvin Johnson
Packers: John Kuhn
Texans: Billy Miller
Colts: Pat McAfee
Jaguars: Paul Posluszny
Raiders: Matt Millen
Chargers: Shawne Merriman
Rams: Tavon Austin
Dolphins: Dwight Stephenson
Patriots: Deion Branch
Saints: Marques Colston
Giants: Osi Umenyiora
Eagles: Brian Westbrook
Seahawks: Cliff Avril
Buccaneers: Ronde Barber
Titans: Jeffery Simmons
Commanders: Mark Rypien
