The Jacksonville Jaguars have waived Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke, the team announced Saturday.
Jacksonville elevated Rourke to the team’s 53-man roster for Thursday’s win against the New Orleans Saints. The move was made primarily because regular starter Trevor Lawrence was struggling with a left knee injury and his status for the game was questionable.
If Rourke clears waivers, he could rejoin the Jaguars’ practice squad.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Rourke signed with Jacksonville as a free agent on Jan. 6 after playing two seasons with the CFL’s BC Lions. During the Jaguars’ preseason, he completed 23 of 35 passes for 348 yards and a touchdown.
Afterwards, Rourke was granted a waiver and later joined the Jaguars’ practice roster.
Rourke was the CFL’s top Canadian in 2022, completing 255 of 324 passes (78.7 percent) for 3,349 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 10 regular-season starts. The former Ohio star also ran 39 times for 304 yards (7.8 yard average) and seven touchdowns.
At Ohio State in 2017-19, Rourke threw for 7,457 yards and 60 touchdowns and led the Bobcats to three consecutive bowl victories. He twice received the Jon Cornish Trophy (2017-18) as the best Canadian football player in the NCAA rankings.
The Lions selected Rourke in the second round, No. 15 overall, of the 2020 CFL Draft. He began his professional career in Canada the following year as the league did not hold a 2020 season due to the global pandemic.
– With files from the Canadian Press
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