NFL Rumors: Falcons Made Nathan Rourke Waiver Claim to Pair with Cousins, Penix Jr.
May 8, 2024
The Atlanta Falcons put in a waiver claim for former CFL star Nathan Rourke earlier this week, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.
Rourke, who has signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots quarterback but has yet to make his regular-season NFL debut, was instead claimed Tuesday by the New York Giants.
The acquisition of Rourke would have added to an already-crowded Falcons quarterback room. Atlanta already signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal in March before using their No. 8 pick to draft former Washington signal caller Michael Penix Jr. in April.
The Falcons additionally have Taylor Heinicke, who made four starts as backup to former Atlanta starter Desmond Ridder last season and is expected to serve as third-string quarterback this fall.
The team also added former Illinois quarterback John Paddock as an undrafted free agent, so Rourke would have been the fifth quarterback to join the team's roster.
Atlanta could be loading up on signal callers for offseason work in order to lighten the load on Cousins as he continues to recover from a torn Achilles tendon, which he underwent surgery on in November. Cousins has said he expects to be "full speed" at training camp, per team reporter Terrin Waack, but Atlanta might be exercising caution with a quarterback they've guaranteed to pay at least $100 million.
Instead Rourke will slot in behind starter Daniel Jones, backup Drew Lock and third-stringer Tommy DeVito in New York.
A former starter at Ohio, Rourke made 22 appearances and 11 starts through two CFL seasons with the BC Lions on his way to being named the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian in 2022.
Rourke visited 12 teams before signing a reserve/future contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023.
He appeared in three preseason games for the Jaguars, during which he completed 23 of 35 passes for 348 yards and one touchdown.
The Patriots then claimed him off waivers in December, where he dressed as the primary backup to Bailey Zappe but did not see game action in the team's season finale loss to the New York Jets.
Rourke's path to seeing regular-season NFL action remains steep, but he likely has a better shot at seeing the field with the Giants than with the quarterback-heavy Falcons.