The Atlanta Falcons declined to play their top two quarterbacks, Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins, in their preseason opener. That meant free agent signing Easton Stick would get thrown in the fire as the first half's signal caller.
To say he performed well would be an understatement; he was fabulous. Not only was he efficient, but he was also accurate and easily navigated the constant chaos behind a shaky backup offensive line.
Now, the decision makers are left with a tough decision when they go to finalize the 53-man roster at the end of the month.
Falcons have a big decision to make at the quarterback position
When Easton Stick was signed, it seemed like he was primed to take over for Kirk Cousins when he was traded.
Well, we are now a few weeks away from the season starting, and Cousins doesn't appear to be going anywhere soon.
Things could change quickly if another team suffers an injury, but we don't know when that will happen.
Certainly, that will affect how the team constructs the quarterback room.
Many think Stick is guaranteed a roster spot, but I don't believe that is the case. That extra roster spot is valuable, especially when you have an intriguing undrafted free agent on both sides of the ball.
Sneaking Stick onto the practice squad could've been in play if he were to struggle in the preseason.
But the opposite has now happened as he is forcing himself onto the final roster.
In some ways this makes the final decision easy, but in many ways it makes it tougher.
Guys like Nick Nash, Cobee Bryant, or even DeAngelo Malone could find themselves not making the team because of Stick's excellence.
Nevertheless, keeping the long-time backup will make life after a Kirk Cousins trade a lot smoother.