The Atlanta Falcons have signed new quarterback Nathan Rourke and tight end Jordan Thomas, addressing two positions fans felt were in desperate need of upgrading.
On Sunday, the New York Giants released Most Outstanding Canadian Nathan Rourke (move over, Ryan Reynolds). Rourke had previous stints with the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Rourke has yet to take a live snap in his young career, but he did dominate in the Canadian Football League for the BC Lions from 2021-2022. Rourke won the Most Outstanding Canadian award in 2022 after throwing for 3,349 yards and 25 touchdowns. He now looks to compete and win a practice squad spot for the Falcons.
Jordan Thomas was initially drafted in the sixth round by the Houston Texans in 2018. Considering his draft position, Thomas showed promise as a rookie, racking up 20 receptions for 215 yards and four touchdowns.
The player didn’t see much action after that season and hasn’t taken a snap since 2020, when he was with New England. Thomas ended up revitalizing his career in the XFL and UFL. He was most recently on the 2023 Carolina Panthers practice squad. Thomas will now look to do the same in Atlanta.
In corresponding moves, the Falcons released John Paddock and Daylen Baldwin. Paddock signed with the team in April as an undrafted free agent from the University of Illinois. Baldwin also signed with Atlanta this spring after originally being an undrafted free agent for the Cleveland Browns in 2022.
The offense continues to add players after the recent signings of wide receivers James Washington and Jesse Matthews. Raheem Morris and company continue to work on making this training camp as competitive as possible.
