Easton Stick is set to be the backup quarterback for the LA Chargers and was signed this offseason to a one-year, $1.8 million contract with $1,152,500 guaranteed. His contract shows that the Chargers are committed to him, but only for one year. That in addition to adding Max Duggan in the draft begs the question, is Stick ready to take on the all-important quarterback two-role position?
What Has Easton Stick Shown So Far?
Stick was drafted in 2019 in the fifth round at pick 166. In his last season at North Dakota State in 2018, when he played the most snaps of his career, he had highs in passing yards (2,752) and passing (28) touchdowns. Since then, Stick has mostly appeared in preseason games and only played two snaps in a regular season game in 2020. Chase Daniel was the primary backup for Justin Herbert in 2022.
Stick’s performances were up and down in the preseason games last year. In the Saints game, his passes were broken up often, and he was under a lot of pocket pressure. And in the game against Dallas, in the first drive, he had an interception. The second drive looked better with a 46-yard completion to Josh Palmer. Stick’s scrambling ability was also on display toward the end of the first quarter, avoiding pressure and making it into the red zone, and Palmer got a touchdown shortly after that.
At the combine, it was noted that he had “good pocket presence to climb the pocket and mobility to escape.” Besides those bright spots, he had some passes that didn’t connect, and at one point lost the ball as it was knocked out and recovered by Dallas. Easton Stick couldn’t consistently show his skillset in these early games, so it was hard to see his upside. And with Daniel’s experience, it made sense why the Chargers stuck with him as the primary backup.
Stick’s Future This Season
General Manager, Tom Telesco, said before the draft that they were excited to have Easton Stick step into the backup role as he was athletic and tough. Stick doesn’t have to go through a quarterback battle this season, so hopefully he gets to play the majority of the snaps in the preseason games, and we’ll be able to judge if he’s really ready for the role. As of now, I’m not sure if he’s the one who will be able to help them win if Herbert gets hurt.