HEADLINES

Nathan Rourke

Giants Claim QB Nathan Rourke

May 8th, 2024 at 8:21am CST by Sam Robinson

MAY 8: The Falcons joined the Giants in submitting a claim, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes. The Giants finishing with a worse 2023 record (6-11) compared to the Falcons (7-10) gave them the priority here. Atlanta’s QB situation has generated far more attention over the past two weeks, but the team also has a starter (Kirk Cousins) coming off a major injury.

As Cousins rehabs his Achilles tear, the team has Michael Penix Jr. and Taylor Heinicke as healthy options for offseason work. The team also reached an agreement with UDFA John Paddock (Illinois). Rourke would have become a fifth QB on Atlanta’s 90-man offseason roster.

MAY 7: Nathan Rourke has not yet turned his CFL production into regular-season NFL work, but teams continue to show interest in the Canadian quarterback.

Being waived by the Patriots on Monday, Rourke will make his way to New York. The Giants submitted a successful waiver claim to add the QB, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. This will be team No. 3 for Rourke, who has spent time with the Jaguars and Pats during his young NFL career.

[RELATED: Drew Lock In Play To Win Giants’ QB1 Gig?]

Rourke, 25, is a British Columbia native who played at Ohio University in the late 2010s. He ventured back north of the border in 2020 and became a successful passer for the BC Lions. The early-2020s production in Canada drew attention from nearly half the NFL. Twelve teams worked out Rourke from December 2022 to January 2023. The Giants were among them; they will now get a closer look at the aspiring NFL backup.

The Giants passed on adding a quarterback in the draft, despite exhaustive research on this year’s class, but did send the Patriots a substantial trade-up proposal for No. 3 overall. The offer, which included Nos. 6 and 47 overall and a 2025 first-rounder, was believed to be so the Giants could select Drake Maye. New England balked and drafted Maye, leading the Giants to take Malik Nabers. This kept Daniel Jones as the team’s QB centerpiece.

Rourke will join Jones, Drew Lock and Tommy DeVito in the Giants’ QB room. Teams regularly carry four QBs into offseason programs and into training camp. The Giants now have three healthy QBs on their roster; Jones remains on the rehab route post-ACL surgery. The five-year starter is expected to be back come training camp. The NFL also increased flexibility regarding the game’s premier position, allowing a non-roster player to serve as the emergency third QB.

Rourke spent most of last year with the Jags, signing a futures deal and spending time on both their active roster and practice squad. The Pats claimed Rourke off waivers in December; they beat the Texans to the punch there. But after making major changes to their QB room this offseason, the Pats moved on.

Patriots To Waive QB Nathan Rourke

May 6th, 2024 at 8:51am CST by Adam La Rose

Following the draft, New England was one of a few teams with five quarterbacks on the roster. That logjam has been addressed to a degree now, however. The Patriots are waiving Nathan Rourke, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports.

Rourke put himself on the NFL radar with a decorated tenure in the CFL. The 25-year-old Canadian initially joined the Jaguars, but he was unable to lock down the backup spot in Jacksonville. New England claimed him off waivers in December and he was re-signed in March.

That decision came after the Patriots cycled through a number of passers during the 2023 season, including Matt Corral and Malik Cunningham (who played QB in college but may need to transition to receiver at the NFL level). Starter Mac Jones is no longer in the fold, and the position has seen considerable change over the course of the 2024 offseason. Veteran Jacoby Brissett was signed as a bridge option for a rookie added at the top of the draft.

To little surprise, the Patriots used the No. 3 selection on Drake Maye. The North Carolina product profiles as New England’s quarterback of the future, although Brissett may begin the year atop the depth chart. In any case, those two will each use up roster spots throughout the campaign, leaving the QB3 position up for grabs. With New England having used a sixth-rounder on Joe Milton, three places on the depth chart are likely accounted for regarding the 2024 season.

Reiss noted over the weekend that Rourke would likely be competing with Bailey Zappe for the fourth and final roster spot amongst signal-callers. Monday’s move means the latter will remain in place for the time being, after he made eight starts across the past two seasons. With Maye now in the fold, however, Zappe’s path to a first-team role has become unclear in New England. For Rourke, meanwhile, it will be interesting to see if outside teams put in a claim; failing that, he will become a free agent.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/1/24

March 1st, 2024 at 7:24pm CST by Ely Allen

The only minor move in a day full of bigger transactions:

New England Patriots

The former CFL standout passer will remain in New England after being claimed off waivers from Jacksonville late last season. Rourke has been a hot name of interest in the years following his Canadian success, meeting with 13 teams since that time. Despite time with the Jaguars and Patriots, Rourke has not yet made his NFL debut. He appears to be a part of New England’s plans at quarterback moving forward.

Texans Sign QB Tim Boyle To Practice Squad

December 19th, 2023 at 5:51pm CST by Ben Levine

With C.J. Stroud still sitting in concussion protocol, the Texans are adding some depth to the quarterback room. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the Texans are signing quarterback Tim Boyle to the practice squad.

Stroud suffered his concussion during Houston’s Week 14 loss to the Jets. Per Wilson, the second-overall pick still has concussion symptoms, putting his status for this weekend’s game against Cleveland in doubt. If the rookie can’t play, veteran Case Keenum is expected to get another start against his former team. Keenum started for Houston this past weekend and helped guide the team to an overtime win over the Titans.

Considering Stroud’s uncertainty, the Texans have been in the market for some QB help. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Texans tried to claim Nathan Rourke after he was waived by the Jaguars. The Patriots won the waiver claim battle, forcing the Texans to look elsewhere.

Boyle joins the Texans after having spent the first part of his 2023 campaign with the Jets. Initially brought in as a familiar backup to Aaron Rodgers, Boyle ended up getting inserted into the lineup in the middle of the season. The Jets went winless in his two starts, and in three games, the QB tossed one touchdown vs. four interceptions. After starting his career in Green Bay, Boyle went winless in three starts with the Lions in 2021. He got into one game for Chicago in 2022, tossing a pair of interceptions in eight pass attempts.

It’s unlikely Boyle sees any playing time in Houston, assuming Stroud sees the field again before the season is done. Even with the rookie out of the lineup, the veteran would be the QB3 behind Keenum and former starter Davis Mills.

Patriots Place G Cole Strange On IR

December 18th, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Ely Allen

The Patriots bad season got worse this weekend when they saw starting offensive guard Cole Strange carted off the field yesterday. After the knee injury forced him to leave the game, Strange has been placed on injured reserve, per a team announcement.

In his second NFL season out of Chattanooga, the former first-round pick has fared much better against his professional competition this year. After grading out as the 61st best guard in the league as a rookie, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Strange currently ranks as the 28th best guard this season.

Unfortunately, injuries have kept him from really blossoming in 2023. After missing the team’s season-opener, Strange came back for two games before being forced to leave the Patriots’ Week 3 contest early. He would be forced to sit out for three games before coming back to make eight straight starts up until this most recent injury.

Atonio Mafi, the fifth-round rookie out of UCLA started in place of Strange in the previous four games he’d missed and filled in for Strange when he left the game yesterday. With Strange out for the rest of the year, Mafi will be starting three more games to end his rookie campaign.

New England also added another body to the quarterbacks room today. Joining Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones at the position will be Nathan Rourke. Rourke was waived by the Jaguars this weekend to make room for return specialist Jamal Agnew to come off IR and found himself getting claimed off the waiver wire by the Patriots. The former CFL quarterback hasn’t made an NFL appearance, but with the season all but decided for New England, the Patriots may decide to see just what they have in Rourke.

Jaguars Activate WR Jamal Agnew From IR

December 16th, 2023 at 3:36pm CST by Ely Allen

It looks like Jaguars wide receiver and return specialist Jamal Agnew only required a short practice window in order to return from injured reserve. Agnew was only designated to return from IR three days ago as he continued working to overcome rib and shoulder injuries that placed him there in the first place. In order to make room on the active roster for the newly activated Agnew, Jacksonville waived backup quarterback Nathan Rourke.

Agnew had missed the four games required to come back from injured reserve when the Jaguars designated him to return. During his absence the team had turned to rookie sixth-round receiver Parker Washington to return punts and veteran backup running back D’Ernest Johnson to return kickoffs. Now, they’ll get back a return man who was a first-team All-Pro selection as a rookie in Detroit and a Pro Bowl returner in Jacksonville just last year. Agnew has also found a bit of a role in the passing offense since arriving in Duval, providing the Jaguars with another offensive weapon just in time for a tough matchup with the Ravens on Sunday night.

Rourke has spent his first season in the NFL going back and forth between the team’s active and practice squad rosters. He had been called up to back up C.J. Beathard in the off chance that Trevor Lawrence was unavailable to play after his high ankle sprain, but Rourke became expendable with Lawrence playing through the injury. Should he clear waivers, expect Rourke to find his way back to the practice squad in Jacksonville.

Speaking of the practice squad, the Jaguars took the opportunity to announce that practice squad tight end Josh Pederson would serve as the team’s standard game elevation for tomorrow’s matchup with the Ravens. Pederson has appeared in two games so far this season, making his NFL debut two weeks ago.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/9/23

December 9th, 2023 at 5:02pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves and callups heading into the Week 14 slate of Sunday games:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There was some thought that Ammendola’s stint with the Texans had come to an end after four appearances. However, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 notes that regular starting kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn still isn’t ready to return from his strained quadriceps, requiring the practice squad kicker to step in for at least another week. Ammendola has connected on six of his nine field goal attempts and all 10 of his XP tries this season.

With Trevor Lawrence a game-time decision for Sunday’s game, the Jaguars are adding some QB depth to the active roster. Rourke is a former CFL standout, with the quarterback earning the CFL Most Outstanding Canadian award in 2022. Following that breakout, 25-touchdown campaign, Rourke got a look from a number of NFL teams and ultimately signed a three-year deal with the Jaguars this past offseason. He was waived at the end of the preseason and has spent the majority of the season on Jacksonville’s practice squad. Per ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, the rookie will be the emergency QB3 for Week 14.

Similarly, the Seahawks will call up Mannion and O’Connell as they deal with injuries to starting quarterback Geno Smith and linebacker Jordyn Brooks. Smith is questionable heading into tomorrow’s game with a groin injury.

Stewart is back on the Colts active roster after having served a six-game ban for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Through six games this season, the veteran has compiled 20 tackles, two stops for a loss, and five QB hits.

Crosby is set to make his 2023 debut and make an appearance for a team other than the Packers for the first time since the 39-year-old was drafted back in 2007.

Schweitzer head right back to injured reserve after being activated last week. The Jets signed a lineman to the active roster from the practice squad and elevated one for tomorrow’s game to add some depth at the position.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/24/23

October 24th, 2023 at 7:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Released: CB Quavian White

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/23

October 21st, 2023 at 8:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

Here are the minor moves made around the league in advance of the Week 7 slate of Sunday games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos 

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Restored to active roster (from suspension exemption): DE Charles Omenihu

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants 

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Dulcich already had one IR stint this season due to an aggravation of last year’s hamstring injury. The 2022 third-rounder has appeared in only two contests so far this season, and in the most recent one he suffered yet another setback. As a result, he will once again be shut down for at least four weeks.

The Giants’ decision to again promote DeVito points to starter Daniel Jones missing another game. Indeed, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Jones is considered a “longshot” to play tomorrow against the Commanders. It will in all likelihood be Tyrod Taylor under center for New York in Week 7 while Jones continues to recover from his neck injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/18/23

October 18th, 2023 at 7:39pm CST by Ely Allen

Minor transactions from around the league today:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

The Giants are dealing with an unprecedented epidemic at offensive tackle right now as their injury report starts to read like a phone book. Already missing starter Andrew Thomas and primary backup Matt Peart, New York went into Sunday night’s game with Evan Neal and Joshua Ezeudu bookending the line. Pugh had recently been brought in to help address the team’s depth at guard, but when Ezeudu exited the game with a toe injury, and was subsequently placed on injured reserve, Pugh kicked out and played the rest of the game at tackle with the first-team offense. Pugh will now serve as depth at tackle, as will Philips, who started his career in Baltimore as a guard before proving his versatility for the Ravens and Giants. He started five games for New York last year.

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