Through five weeks of the 2023 NFL season, we are starting to see who the contenders are from the pretenders. Some of these teams are already thinking of rebuilding as they start to analyze the upcoming 2024 draft class.
Currently, the New England Patriots (1-4), Cincinnati Bengals (2-3), Houston Texans (2-3), Tennessee Titans (2-3), Denver Broncos (1-4), New York Giants (1-4), Chicago Bears (1-4), Minnesota Vikings (1-4), Carolina Panthers (0-5), and Arizona Cardinals (1-4) are near the bottom of their respective divisions.
Four of these teams will bounce back later this season but for the others, they are already thinking rebuild mode. So far this season, many fans and critics have pointed out how bad the quarterback position is this year.
Some of the bottom teams like the Giants have overpaid their quarterbacks who have performed average at best. These quarterbacks have problems with accuracy and make poor decisions on the field, leading to their teams’ records.
For these teams, not all hope is lost if they act quickly. There is one quarterback who is currently on the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad who should be elevated to an active roster and his name is Nathan Rourke.
Nathan Rourke is six foot one and weighs 210 pounds. The 25-year-old from Victoria, British Columbia, completed 23 of 35 passes (65.7%) for 348 yards, one touchdown, and 14 carries for 39 yards in three preseason games for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rourke took the NFL by storm in a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys when he avoided getting sacked before throwing a touchdown.
In the 2022 season, Rourke completed 255 of 324 passes (78.7%) for 3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 39 carries for 304 yards, and seven touchdowns in ten games for the B.C. Lions. He missed part of the season due to a foot injury on August 19th.
Rourke returned on October 28th and led the Lions to defeat the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Semi-Final before the Lions lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Final.
The Lions drafted Rourke in the second round (15th pick) in the 2020 CFL Draft. Rourke played two seasons completing 307 of 406 passes (75.6%) for 4,103 yards, 28 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, 57 carries for 415 yards, and 12 touchdowns in 23 games.
Collegiately, Rourke played one season at Fort Scott Community College completing 221 of 378 (58.5%) passes for 2,367 yards, 18 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 118 carries for 27 yards, and three touchdowns in 11 games.
Then, Rourke transferred to Ohio for three seasons (2017-19) with 525 of 894 (58.7%) passes for 7,457 yards, 60 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, 425 carries for 2,639 yards, and 49 touchdowns in 39 games. He is a two-time All-MAC Second-Team (2017, 2018).
Nathan Rourke has earned an opportunity to play in the NFL. He has good arm strength, speed, and everything teams are looking for in a quarterback. The question is would one of these teams take a chance on him to save their season? It is time for Nathan Rourke to play in the NFL.
