Rookie QB Kurtis Rourke was placed on the Non-football injury list Wednesday afternoon. He can be activated anytime.
We’re right around the corner from real football returning. The rookies reported on Tuesday, while the veterans will arrive next week for the San Francisco 49ers.
As expected, we will not see seventh-round rookie quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The 49ers placed Rourke on the Active/NFI (non-football injury) list on Wednesday afternoon. Rourke sustained a partially torn ACL before Indiana’s season started last year. The senior played through that injury and decided to undergo surgery in January.
Rourke wasn’t expected to contribute as a rookie, as the 49ers drafted him, well aware of his pre-existing injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said, “We’re in a situation where we could take him, and I think he would’ve gone a lot higher if he was healthy.”
That makes sense after Rourke threw for 3,000 yards, 29 touchdowns, and was in the top 10 in the Heisman voting last season, considering he would have been drafted higher had he not sustained a serious knee injury.
By placing Rourke on the NFI, he can return as soon as he’s healthy. So, it might not be in time to compete with Mac Jones for the backup quarterback spot, but Rourke will have time to learn the offense and eventually compete as the scout team quarterback or earn a practice squad spot over Tanner Mordecai.
Rookie Marques Sigle was cleared after not practicing during OTAs, per Matt Maiocco. The only other rookie we are waiting on is second-rounder Alfred Collins, who remains unsigned.