FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — In the aftermath of quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s injury, the Atlanta Falcons named Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback, signed Easton Stick to the active roster as the backup quarterback and signed Kyle Trask to the practice squad as an emergency third quarterback.
Penix was officially placed on injured reserve Wednesday.
The transactions for Stick and Trask were announced the Wednesday prior to the Falcons' Week 12 game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome.
In addition, inside linebacker Divine Deablo was designated to return from injured reserve on Wednesday. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Monday this move would be coming, and now it is official. Deablo's 21-day window has opened. The Falcons must either activate him or revert him to season-ending injured reserve by Wednesday of Week 15.
"I expect to see him," Morris said Wednesday. "I don't want act like we're going to activate him and not see him. I hope we're going to see him unless something otherwise says something different."
Stick and Trask are the opposite – unless something else happens to the quarterback room in Atlanta before Sunday.
The Falcons signed Stick back in April then relegated him to the practice squad after the initial roster was decided upon. His last live action came in 2023, when he appeared in five games, starting four, for the Los Angeles Chargers. He completed 111 of his 174 passes for 1,129 yards, three touchdowns and an interception as he filled in for an injured Justin Herbert. That averages out to a 63.8% completion rate for 225.8 yards per game.
Otherwise, Stick appeared in one game for the Chargers in 2020, completing his sole pass for 4 yards.
Stick's practice reps have admittedly been limited in Atlanta, given he was the third-stringer until this week. Even still, if his number was or were to be called in the past or present, he feels ready.
"You just got to be able to go out there and play well on Sunday," Stick said. "That's part of it. But yeah, we'll be comfortable. I think we all are. Every week, it can look a little bit different, and we'll do the best we can preparing and be ready to go."
Trask, meanwhile, played in a backup role for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2022-24. He appeared in seven games, completing four of his 11 passes for 28 yards. The Buccaneers released him prior to this season started, so the Falcons are bringing him in as a free agent.
With all these changes, Atlanta's first Week 12 practice was held Wednesday. The Falcons-Saints game is scheduled for Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET. Atlanta is 3-7. New Orleans is 2-8.
