The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed veteran quarterback Easton Stick to their practice squad. In a competition that featured Jake Browning and Connor Bazelek as the depth options back in April, the Bucs quarterback room will now officially be Baker Mayfield, Jalon Daniels, and Stick.
Stick has familiarity playing under the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and their passing game coordinator TJ Yates.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sign Easton Stick to Practice Squad
The Buccaneers entered the offseason with Browning as a free-agent signing. They brought back Bazelak after he won the third-string job in training camp last season. However, Tampa Bay changed coaches in that time, and Bakelak had no connection with the team.
He seemed to bow out of the race quickly when the rookie UDFA, Daniels, started to shine. Daniels won the third-string job easily and took the second spot by the end of the preseason. Browning was expected to coast to the backup spot, but he lost.
After being a backup for the Cincinnati Bengals and expecting to be the backup for the Bucs, it made sense for him to seek employment elsewhere when he could have a real shot at being the backup.
So, they did not retain Browning. Without much familiarity or belief in Bazelek, the Bucs moved on from him as well. It left them looking for an option.
Stick was with the Indianapolis Colts this offseason. If Indianapolis cut or traded Anthony Richardson, they would have kept Stick behind Riley Leonard. However, Richardson won the backup job, so they had to push Leonard to the number three. They would not have been able to keep Stick, who now comes to a familiar team.
Stick Lands in Tampa Bay
Stick is one of the many North Dakota State quarterbacks to make it to the NFL. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, at pick 166 overall.
He spent his first five NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. He was only active for six games and started in four. The Chargers went 0-4 with Stick to finish the 2023 season. Stick does have three touchdowns to one interception, though.
Still, he remained as their third-string option through the 2024 season. In 2025, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons. Yates was in a similar spot, but also worked with the wide receivers. Robinson was in the same spot.
So, the familiarity helped the two fit this year. Stick has either played for the Chargers or in a Robinson-led offense. He has experience, but will still stick in the third quarterback role behind Daniels.
Buccaneers Sign 7-Year Veteran QB to Complete Room