Jacksonville Jaguars third-string quarterback Nathan Rourke doesn’t have a shot at becoming the backup. Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters Saturday that, despite Rourke’s strong preseason performances, it’ll still be C.J. Beathard backing up Trevor Lawrence in 2023.
Would the Jaguars consider keeping Rourke as a third quarterback on the 53-man roster? That remains to be seen, but the former Canadian Football League is preparing for the possibility that he’ll become available to other teams soon. And the best thing Rourke can do is continue to play well.
“You don’t get a lot of opportunities and you’ve got to make them count,” Rourke said Monday in an interview with News4Jax. “It’s important — obviously you’d love to be able to make this team and be able to contribute — but you have to be able to go out there and make some film for other teams if it doesn’t work out here, right?
“I’ve been very grateful to the [Jaguars] organization here that they’ve given me a chance to do that and be able to show the player I am and what they have and hopefully we can make it work.”
In two preseason games, Rourke has completed 19 of 29 passes for 274 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. In the final minutes of the Jaguars’ 28-23 win over the Dallas Cowboys, he pulled off a remarkable play that even caught the attention of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.
That was nasty!!! 💪🏽💪🏽 https://t.co/rVFePs6rW8
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) August 13, 2023
Rourke’s strong play has taken many by surprise and could land him a spot on an NFL roster. But the former B.C. Lions quarterback didn’t walk away from the CFL just to be a training camp arm.
“I left a really good situation in B.C., I left a really good team and coaching staff, people I was comfortable with, in order to come and chase an opportunity here in the NFL,” Rourke said. “If I didn’t think I would be able to make it, I probably wouldn’t have came, just to be fully honest.”
If Jacksonville cuts Rourke after preseason ends, he’d hit the waiver wire where every other team would have a chance to put in a claim. Only if every team opted against claiming Rourke could the Jaguars add him to their practice squad.
