Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke has made an impression on New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Rourke was claimed off waivers by the Pats on December 18.
“Attentive, sharp kid, works hard. Gets here early, stays late, he’s done a good job in things we’ve asked him to do, hasn’t had a lot of reps running our offence, but he’s had some,” Belichick said.
Instead of elevating Malik Cunningham or Will Grier to the 53-man active roster, the Patriots allowed the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers to sign those respective quarterbacks from their practice squad. That shows New England’s level of interest in Rourke.
The 25-year-old travelled and dressed as the Pats’ third-string QB in Week 16 as New England beat the Broncos 26-23 in Denver on Christmas Eve. Starter Bailey Zappe completed 25-of-33 passes for 256 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. 2021 first-round, 15th overall NFL Draft pick Mac Jones was the backup.
Rourke has a lot of respect for Belichick who has helped lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl championships. The 71-year-old brought in the six-foot-one, 210-pound QB because he liked his production in the CFL and NFL preseason.
“Good guy to work with — no issues,” Belichick said.
During the 2022 CFL season, Rourke completed 78.7 percent of his passes for 3,349 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while starting for the B.C. Lions. He ran 39 times for 304 yards (7.8 per carry) and seven touchdowns during 10 regular season games, nine starts. The Ohio University graduate won the league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award despite missing half the season with a Lisfranc injury.
Rourke signed with the Jaguars last offseason after an extensive NFL workout tour. During three preseason games with Jacksonville, 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 Patriots (4-11) visit the Bills (9-6) on Sunday, Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. EST. Expect Rourke to be in uniform at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo.
