Falcons just made their stance on James Pearce Jr. crystal clear

Between the depth chart and the amount of playing time by James Pearce Jr. it is crystal clear that the Atlanta Falcons aren't quite ready to count on him for Week 1 of the regular season.

Head Coach Raheem Morris has made it a habit of not playing his important (for the lack of a better word) players in the preseason.

One would figure that JPJ—the team's original draft target with the No. 15 pick—would be among those players, but that hasn't been the case. They still think he needs more reps before meaningful action.

Falcons believe James Pearce Jr. still needs more development before Week 1

It has been interesting to see Raheem Morris' strategy in the preseason. Not only has he not played big names like Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Jessie Bates III, but he hasn't played many role players like Casey Washington, Jamal Agnew, and Storm Norton.

There is a clear stance that what you show in practice will determine preseason playing time.

And thus, James Pearce Jr.'s high snap count in the second preseason game tells us a lot.

It really is shocking; this is a first-round pick—with expectations of being a top defender—playing more snaps than fringe players fighting to make the final roster.

That said, this could prove to be a great thing for the former Tennessee Volunteer because each rep he plays is one rep closer to him becoming the player the franchise hopes he can be.

Just between the first and second preseason game we have seen him grow. Against the Titans, he looked to have a better plan on each play than he did against the Lions.

He had a quick pressure off a savvy hand-swipe of the tackle that led to the quarterback throwing an interception.

Hopefully, these reps will culminate into him being a dominant player in Week 1 against the Buccaneers.