With the 2022 regular season now in the books, the Kansas City Chiefs are officially eligible to sign prospects to reserve/future contracts. One area that they appear to be looking: Backup quarterback to Patrick Mahomes II.
It’s no secret that Chad Henne could soon retire — either following the 2022 campaign or not long after. The veteran signal-caller is set to hit free agency again in 2023 on top of turning 38 years old in July.
In the meantime, the Chiefs are covering their tracks and working out some potential backup options that can compete with third string QB Shane Buechele. The latest is Nathan Rourke, a current Canadian Football League passer that played college ball at Ohio.
Nathan Rourke Fresh off Record-Breaking Season With BC Lions
TSN’s Farhan Lalji announced the news that Rourke was in KC on January 9, tweeting that the hot commodity QB prospect has “two more [tryouts] scheduled for this week.”
Nathan Rourke in Kansas City for a workout with the Chiefs today. Two more scheduled for this week. #ChiefsKingdom #BCLions @TSN_Sports @NFLCanada
USA Today Chiefs Wire media member Charles Goldman followed up on this story, adding that “Rourke has already visited a few NFL teams including the [Jacksonville] Jaguars, [Minnesota] Vikings and [Cincinnati] Bengals.”
Rourke joined the CFL’s BC Lions out of college, but he didn’t start full-time until 2022. According to Goldman, that’s when he “set a CFL single-season record, completing 78.7 percent of his passes during the 2022 season with 3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions,” as well as an 8-1 record.
Here were his complete stats with the BC Lions through two seasons:
- 2021: 13 games played, 52 for 82, 754 passing yards, three passing TDs, five interceptions, 18 carries for 111 yards, five rushing TDs.
- 2022: 10 games played, 255 for 324, 3,349 passing yards, 25 passing TDs, 10 interceptions, 39 for 304 yards, seven rushing TDs.
According to his BC Lions profile, Rourke stands at 6-foot-2, 209 pounds, and is 25 years old in May.
On the American side of things, NFL Network draft expert Lance Zierlein once described Rourke as a “stocky quarterback whose dual-threat production may have been more a function of his scheme than his athletic/play traits.”
Continuing: “Rourke stacked touchdowns on top of touchdowns as he shouldered a heavy offensive burden for three years at Ohio. He’s best as a zone-read, RPO-based prospect with some off-schedule ability, but lacks NFL pocket-passing talent. While he was able to make slick open-field cuts to add yards as a runner, he’s not sudden enough for that production to translate and he’s not athletic enough to switch positions.”
Chiefs Bulking up Quarterback Reserves
During his aforementioned article, Goldman confirmed the possibility of Henne retiring or moving on after the 2022 campaign, writing: “If Chad Henne retires following the 2022 NFL season, you’re going to want to bring in as much competition as possible to push for the No. 2 quarterback job.”
Keep in mind that Kansas City already has dual-threat QB prospect Chris Oladokun signed to their practice squad. The South Florida and South Dakota State product was another popular signal-caller last spring and summer because of his plus “athleticism and arm strength.”
It appears that general manager Brett Veach will continue to add passers for head coach Andy Reid to get his hands on until they settle on a long-term backup to Mahomes — a key position that you hope that you’ll never need, but still have to make sure is covered just in case.
As for Rourke, Lalji told a fan on Twitter that while he could sign as soon as today, he doesn’t “expect him to until the end of the week” as he weighs his options.
@jsilvestri90 @TSN_Sports @NFLCanada Today. But I don’t expect him to until the end of the week
We’ll continue to monitor any Chiefs future/reserve signings and tryouts as they occur.
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Chiefs Bring in Potential Patrick Mahomes Backup on ‘Tryout’: Report