Easton Stick is one play away from Falcons’ QB throne

FLOWERY BRANCH — With the season-ending left knee injury to Michael Penix Jr., Easton Stick is now one play away from being the Falcons’ starting quarterback.

Kirk Cousins will start when the Falcons (3-7) play the Saints (2-8) at 4:25 p.m. Sunday at Caesars Superdome.

If something happens to Cousins, Stick would be the proverbial “next man up.”

“Sunday, looks different,” Stick said. “Outside of Sunday, not much changes.”

Stick, formerly of the Chargers, signed with the Falcons on April 21. He guided the team for most of the exhibition season.

Since then, he’s been the third-team quarterback on the practice squad. He was signed to the 53-man roster on Wednesday. Also, quarterback Kyle Trask, a former second-round pick of the Buccaneers, was signed to the practice squad.

“However you can help the room,” Stick said. “That’s always kind of been my mindset. If you’re not the one out there on the field helping the team win on the field on Sunday, you try to find a role through the week to benefit the guys, benefit Mike, benefit Kirk, however you can. That’s really the biggest thing. It’s really (more) behind the scenes than it is physical. That’s kind of the job (of the third quarterback).”

Stick, who’s 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds, has appeared in only six games over seven seasons in the NFL, including four starts in 2023.

Stick went 0-4 in his starts during the 2023 season with the Chargers. In the NFL, he has completed 112 of 175 passes (64%) for 1,133 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He has a passer rating of 85.7.

He guided the Falcons to an 0-3 mark in the exhibition season. He completed 54 of 78 passes (69.2%) for 520 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions with an 89.7 passer rating.

Stick believes he’ll be ready if needed.

“Not a ton of reps, but really no one outside of the starters (gets them), and even for the starters, it’s a week-to-week deal in this business,” Stick said. “A lot of it is you just have to go out there and play well on Sunday.”

The Falcons will have to retool the offense for Cousins and Stick.

“That’s a part of it,” Stick said. “We’ll be comfortable. I think we all are. Every week, it can look a little bit different. We’ll do the best we can preparing and be ready to go.”

Falcons coach Raheem Morris informed the team of Penix’s injury during the team meeting on Monday.

“He’s so positive and uplifting,” Stick said. “That’s just his M.O. (modus operandi).”

The injury was the latest blow to the psyche as they try to stop a five-game losing streak.

“It’s been a tough stretch for us, obviously,” Stick said. “It’s been cool to see him lead us through that and be the same guy every single day.”

Morris’ messages are still being well-received.

“Yeah, there are great guys in this room that believe in each other and Raheem is definitely the leader of all of that,” Stick said.

Working with Cousins has been a joy for Stick, who backed up Justin Herbert with the Chargers.

“He’s been great,” Stick said. “So much experience. He can talk about plays and have a list of (how many times) he’s ran it, different experiences. How to handle adversity.”

Stick has not looked inside of Cousins’ notebooks, which is where he stores his quarterbacking data.

“I haven’t,” Stick said. “You get curious, you know. But he does a great job of vocalizing his thoughts, ideas and experiences in the room. So, you kind of have an idea or where he sits on stuff, which is really beneficial.”

In addition to Penix being out, the Falcons will be without receiver Drake London against the Saints.

“We’re figuring all of that stuff out right now,” Stick said. “Drake is an incredible player. You’ve seen his production the last year or so is really off the charts. The stuff that doesn’t show up in the stat book is just as impressive.”