Apparently, the Atlanta Falcons aren’t done adding to their quarterback room ahead of the 2024 season. The Falcons made quarterback a major part of their focus for the upcoming season.
At the scouting combine in February, new head coach Raheem Morris bluntly assessed the Falcons’ quarterback issues in previous seasons.
“If we had better quarterback play, I probably would not be standing here at this podium,” Morris said.
The Atlanta Falcons added two high-profile QBs this offseason
A few weeks later, at the start of free agency in March, the Falcons went big to land veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, offering him a four-year deal worth $180 million, with $100 million of that guaranteed.
They didn’t stop with Cousins. In the biggest surprise of the draft, the Falcons selected Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick. Penix gave the Falcons insurance for Cousins, a 35-year-old coming off an Achilles injury.
However, the Falcons are still unsatisfied with their quarterback roster, which also includes Taylor Heinicke and John Paddock.
The Falcons wanted Nathan Rourke
According to Adam Schefter with ESPN, the Falcons put in a waiver claim for Nathan Rourke after the New England Patriots waived him on Monday. The New York Giants claimed the “star” CFL quarterback on Tuesday.
Rourke has an impressive resume for NFL GMs
Per a statement by the Giants, Rourke was a standout at Ohio before joining the CFL:
Prior to that, he played in 26 games with 24 starts at Ohio University, where he owned a 17-7 record as a starting quarterback. Rourke was a two-time All-MAC Second Team selection and ranked first in program history with a career passing efficiency rating of 144.3, second with 40 career passing touchdowns, second with 178.3 career passing yards per game, fourth with 4,637 career passing yards, fourth with a career completion percentage of 57.4 percent (325-of-566), fifth with 14.3 career yards per completion, and seventh with 325 career completions.
Rourke’s resume was enough to grab the attention of multiple teams following his dismissal from the Patriots. He would have been another interesting pickup by the Falcons this offseason. The Falcons already have a solid quarterback room from QB1 to QB3, as Heinicke is a serviceable emergency option under center.
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