The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke to the team’s 53-man active roster from the practice squad.
Franchise QB Trevor Lawrence suffered a high-ankle sprain during the fourth quarter of the Jags’ Monday Night Football game and had to be helped off the field. He is a game-time decision for Sunday’s Week 14 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Backup C.J. Beathard appears to be the next QB up after he completed 9-of-10 passes for 63 yards to finish the loss vs. the Bengals in Week 13, but he’s nursing a shoulder injury.
The NFL instituted an emergency third-quarterback rule last offseason for these situations. It allows the Jaguars to keep Rourke in uniform without using one of the 48 spots on the gameday roster. Jacksonville can utilize him only if their first two quarterbacks are unable to finish the game. However, the rule stipulates that the third QB cannot be one of the team’s temporary elevations from the practice roster, which would expose Rourke to waivers if he was sent back down and potentially allow him to be claimed by another team.
The Jaguars utilized that strategy in Week 7 in a win over the New Orleans Saints, signing Rourke to the 53-man active roster while Lawrence played through a knee injury. The native of Oakville, Ont. successfully cleared waivers on that occasion but a growing number of teams could be in the market for a quarterback with injuries mounting late in the season.
Rourke earns $41,666 USD per week while on the Jaguars’ 53-man active roster. He had $221,000 USD guaranteed when he signed his three-year contract with Jacksonville and makes $12,000 per week on the practice squad.
Rourke has spent the majority of his first NFL season on the practice squad after being waived by the Jaguars following training camp. During the preseason, he completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 348 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions while rushing 14 times for 39 yards and one touchdown.
The 25-year-old threw for 3,349 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions plus rushed for 304 yards and seven touchdowns over 10 games with the B.C. Lions in 2022. He was the first quarterback to be named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian since 1980 and helped the Lions reach the West Final despite playing with a lingering foot injury.
Lawrence has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 3,004 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season along with 56 carries for 248 yards and four touchdowns. The Jaguars have an 8-4 record and lead the AFC South by one game over the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans.
Jacksonville travels to Cleveland to take on the Browns on Sunday, December 10 with kickoff slated for 1:00 p.m. ET.
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